Nymphaea Nouchali 15-2000 Seeds, Perennial Blue Water Lily, Aquatic Star Lotus, Medicinal and Edible

The Plant Attraction

$3.99 

Nymphaea Nouchali
Also known as: Blue Water-Lily, Star Lotus

Here is a beautiful perennial freshwater herbaceous plant. It can be found from the Indian subcontinent to Australia. It has been cultivated worldwide for medicinal, edible, and decorative purposes and both Sri Lanka and Bangladesh have named it the national flower. The perfumed flowers are typically a bluish-purple hue and its edges may appear a reddish color and create a special aquarium or ornamental pond plant. Innovative gardeners with small gardens and sunny courtyards can enjoy them too, as they can be successfully grown in a variety of water-filled pottery containers, wooden barrels, old kitchen sinks and water features.
This aquatic plant is bottom rooted and its roots and stems grow to the water’s surface. The plant’s green, round leaves sit partially above water and grows approximately 8 to 9 inches. The plant flowers above the water’s surface and sits on its lily pad. The flower produces between 13 and 15 angular petals and from above it looks like a beautiful star. It is difficult to collect the seed, because the seed pods burst without much warning and the seeds disperse and sink quite soon. A common practice is to tie a muslin bag around the ripening pod. In this way after it bursts, the seeds cannot float away.
They do not like to be in swiftly moving water or be exposed to a lot of wind. Hardiness zones 10-11, (1°C/35°F, 4°C/40°F) and will go dormant in winter.

Rhizomes, leaves and flowers are utilized for a long time in the traditional medicine for various pathologies. The rhizomes, rich in starch, are consumed broiled or roasted, the leaves and flowers as vegetables and fodder for the animals. It has been known to treat indigestion in Indian holistic medicine. Flowers are astringent, cardiotonic and refrigerant; alleviate of cough, bile, vomiting, giddiness, worms and skin burns. Recent use of this species has proven successful in extracting antihepatotoxic and antidiabetic properties.
The plant belongs to the Nymphaeaceae family.
Basic germinating instructions are supplied with each seed order.

Please note the difference:
The lotus is often confused with the water lilies (Nymphaea, sometimes called the "lotus"). In fact, several older systems call the lotus Nymphaea nelumbo or Nymphaea stellata. This is, however, evolutionarily incorrect, as the lotus and water-lilies are practically unrelated. Far from being in the same family, Nymphaea and Nelumbo are members of different orders (Nymphaeales and Proteales respectively).

Lotus form waxy green bowl like foliage (to 2’ across) that generally rise above the water, as with the flowers are born on stalks (peduncles) above the water. Lotus (Nelumbo) produce large marble sized seeds and have been found to remain viable for several centuries! Lilies (Nymphaea) on the other hand, its foliage tend to 'float' on the water surface and the leaves generally are flat. The seeds of Nymphaea are very small.

Choose from either 15, 500, or 2000 small seeds.