Nymphaea nouchali

Nymphaea nouchali

General information : The submerse leaves of this plant make it a very attrctive feature plant. The submerged leaf is pale green with a pinkish mauve under side. The emergent leaves are light green with a few dark red spots and the flower is pale blue opening in daylight hours. If the water is over 30cm deep it will flower under water.

Cultivation notes : The form cultured at Aquagreen is from Cardwell in Qld and does well in the soft water conditions. This plant is usually more common in brackish and hard water situations. At Aquagreen it is cultivated in laterite substrate covered with some sand, water quality - pH about 7, KH 60 ppm GH 50 ppm, temp 27 to 30 deg C, 70% shaded natural light. It grows best when the water is very warm and tends to drop its leaves in the dry season when the water goes below 25 deg C. It is propagated by seed.

Distribution : India across to Tropical Australia, NT and Qld.

Selling details : Sold as individual plant with the roots washed free of substrate.

Reference : Cowie, Short and Osterkamp-Madsen (2000) "Floodplain Flora, a flora of the floodplain of the Northern Territory, Australia"