Nymphaea tetragona - Pygmy Water Lily

Family:	Nymphaeaceae
Habit:	Perennial
Synonyms:
Range:	N.E. Europe to E. Asia and eastern N. America.

Nymphaea tetragona (Pygmy Water Lily) is a Perennial. It has a hardness rating of 2.
Pygmy Water Lily will flower in January to February. the seeds ripen from February to April
The flowers from this plant are hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and they are pollinated by Flies, self

Soil Information

Pygmy Water Lily will grow in light (sandy),medium (loamy),hard (clay) soil. It is not necessary for the soil to be well drained.
The soil prefers the following PH / acid levels :
- pH of less than 6, Acidic soils
- pH between 6 and 8, Neutral soils
- pH greater than 8, Basic soils
Pygmy Water Lily prefers soils

Ideal Planting Locations

Pygmy Water Lily should not be planted in shady areas.

Ponds and shallow lakes in Japan[58].

Planting places suited to this plant described below.

• Is a pond plant

Cultivation Details

A water plant requiring a rich soil and a sunny position in still[200, 55]. Prefers a pH between 6 and 7[200]. Best grown in 15 - 30cm of water[200]. There are two basic types of plant in this genus (this species is a clumper):- 'crawlers' are species with horizontal roots that often spread freely, with new plants being formed at intervals along the root. These species are useful for naturalising, but they do not flower very freely in the cool summers of Britain[214]. 'clumpers' have vertical roots, they form slowly spreading clumps and produce offsets around the crown. These forms flower much more freely in Britain[214]. A very ornamental plant[1].

Edible Uses*

* See disclaimer
Edible Rating: 2/5
Root[105, 177]. No more details are given.

• Root - includes bulbs, corms, tubers, rhizomes etc.
• Seed - includes nuts, cereals, peas and beans.

Medicinal Uses*

* See disclaimer
Medicinal Rating: 0/5
None known

Propagation

Seed - sow as soon as it is ripe in a greenhouse in pots submerged under 25mm of water. Prick out into individual pots as soon as the first true leaf appears and grow them on in water in a greenhouse for at least two years before planting them out in late spring. The seed is collected by wrapping the developing seed head in a muslin bag to avoid the seed being lost. Harvest it 10 days after it sinks below the soil surface or as soon as it reappears[200]. Division in May. Each portion must have at least one eye. Submerge in pots in shallow water until established[56].

Known Hazards

None known

Other Uses

None known

Cultivars

no recorded cultivars

References

Flora of Japan. (English translation)
Ohwi. G.
Author: Ohwi. G.
Rating:
Publisher : The standard work. Brilliant, but not for the casual reader.
Date of Publication : 1965

The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
Huxley. A.
Author: Huxley. A.
Rating:
Publisher : Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
Date of Publication : 1992

An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada
Britton. N. L. Brown. A.
Author: Britton. N. L. Brown. A.
Rating:
Publisher : Reprint of a 1913 Flora, but still a very useful book.
Date of Publication : 1970

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