The New Zealand Plant Conservation Network

Species

Nymphaea mexicana

Common Name(s)

Mexican water lily

Authority

Nymphaea mexicana Zucc.

Family

Nymphaeaceae

Brief Description

Floating leaved aquatic plant with 'lily' shaped leaves and yellow flowers, that can develop dense stands in still and slow flowing waters.

Flora Category

Vascular - Exotic

Structural Class

Dicotyledonous Herbs other than Composites

Distribution

Locally naturalised, mostly Auckland and Waikato.

Habitat

Still and slow flowing water bodies

Features

Stout erect rhizome with creeping stolons, often ending with distinctive ‘brood-bodies’ which look like miniature hands of bananas. Leaves are almost round to elliptical in shape, with a deep narrow basal sinus. Leaves are up to 20 cm across, green or pink on the lower surface, and with brown blotches on the upper surface. Flower is yellow and up to 15 cm across. Seeds 2-3 mm long. New Zealand plants are likely to be of hybrid origin, but have the characters of the parent species.

Similar Taxa

Common water lily (Nymphaea alba), marshwort (Nymphoides geminata), and fringed water lily (Nymphoides peltata). Common water lily has a horizontal rhizome distinguishing it from Mexican water lily, which has an erect rhizome and also often has brown blotches on the upper surface of leaves, which don’t occur on the leaves of common water lily. Marshwort and fringed water lily have thin stolons which loop across the sediment surface or lie just beneath the water surface, whereas water lilies have thick rhizomes.

Flowering

October, November, December

Flower Colours

Yellow

Fruiting

Summer-autumn

Year Naturalised

1982

Origin

Native to Southern United States and Mexico.

Reason for Introduction

Ornamental pond plant

Life Cycle and Dispersal

Reproduces by rhizomes, tubers, and seed. Dispersed by water movement and deliberate plantings.

This page last updated on 30 Jul 2014