How Did Water Lilies Begin?

Types of Water Lilies

• The terms "lotus" and "water lily" are often used interchangeably, especially in literature. The two come from different families and have subtly different growing patterns. Water lilies are of the genus Nelumbo and their leaves, the broad "lily pads" so popular in literature, float on the water's surface. Lotus flowers come from Asia and are of the genus Nymphaea. Lotus plants rise from still water and their leaves can grow up to 4 feet above the water's surface.

Beginnings

• Water lilies have a truly ancient history. In 2002, researchers at the University of Colorado found genetic evidence that water lilies may represent a "missing link" between prehistoric plants that do not flower and more recently evolved flowering plants. Water lilies may actually be some of the oldest flowers in the world. Fossil dating places the very earliest water lilies in Portugal in the Lower Cretaceous period, from 146 million to 100 million years ago. The earliest dating of water lily species is for the family Nuphar in China in the Early Eocene, approximately 56 million to 40 million years ago.

Fun Fact

• Some water lily varieties have flowers that open during the day, others at night. Water lilies have some of the most unusual pollination strategies on the planet -- one species actually traps water beetles for up to two days as the flower dies and the beetles become covered in the flower's pollen, which they carry on to fertilize other flowers (Reference 4). The water lily's long history has allowed it to develop adaptations for survival in many different environments around the globe.