Nymphaea Fidelity » Tropical water lily seeds from the internet

At auction sites and other sources across the web, there are tropical water lily seeds that are available for purchase. While the pricing seems really good, there are some matters that we feel consumers should be aware of. We will be using the screen capture below.

What is actually for sale?

In the screen capture above, we see the titles of the auctions. The first auction is intact but the ones thereafter are questionable. In our minds, we are familiar with what a tropical water lily is--a plant that grows in freshwater with roots that thrive in silt, foliage that floats on the surface of the water, and blooms that rise out of the water. A cultivar of a tropical water lily begins with Nymphaea. For example: Nymphaea 'Sandra Lynn'. We also know that they are a genus of aquatic plants from the family of Nymphaeaceae.

As for lotus--a plant that grows in freshwater with roots that also flourish in silt, foliage that floats on the surface of the water as well as above the water, and blooms that rise high above the water. A cultivar of a lotus begins with Nelumbo. An example would be Nelumbo Green Maiden. We are also aware that they are a genus of aquatic plants from the family of Nelumbonaceae.

Based on this knowledge, we can conclude that tropical water lilies are NOT the same as lotus. Therefore this auction is misleading! In reading the auction we are made aware that they are actually selling tropical water lily seeds.

What are you not being told?

Did you know that the only way to get a truly identical plant is by vegetative means? This can be by viviparous plants which grow new plants from blooms or foliage. This can also be done via tubers.

A final way to obtain an identical plant is via a species plant. The plants in these auctions are hybrids which CANNOT produce identical plants.

What should be done?

Sellers of tropical water lily seeds on the internet should be forthright in educating the consumer. People are entitled to know exactly what they are purchasing.

Additional reading from Victoria Adventure.

Photo credit:eBay screen capture @ May 24, 2009 : 21:50:30 pdt

Photo credit:Green maiden picture from Luster Aquatic Nursery

Photo credit:Viviparous tropical water lily pad picture from Victoria Adventure

Filed under: Cultivation, Tropical water lilies