Nymphaeaceae
Water-Lily Family
The Nymphaeaceae family (Water-Lily Family) is a botanical family placed in the order Nymphaeales. In the SASYA catalogue it spans 7 species across 3 genera. Its members are predominantly herb (aquatic)s. Well-represented genera include Nymphaea, Euryale and Victoria. Several members are valued in traditional medicine. Familiar examples include Fox-nut, European White Waterlily and Yellow Waterlily.
Browse all 7 species ↓
Round or heart-shaped floating leaves with a deep basal notch, attached by a long flexible stalk to a rhizome rooted in mud below; many-petalled flowers float or rise just above the water surface, showing a gradual transition from outer petals to inner stamens rather than a sharp boundary between them.
The flower's petal-to-stamen transition is a living example of floral evolution in action — a visible reminder that petals are believed to have evolved from modified stamens.
Which Nymphaeaceae species is this?
Answer what you can see and narrow it down to a single Nymphaeaceae species.
To check whether a plant belongs to Nymphaeaceae, compare the leaf arrangement, leaf type, flower symmetry, fruit type, and one distinctive marker together. A single feature can mislead; the family pattern is the combination.
Learn the full family-identification methodTypical leaf characters
Characters typical of the family — individual species can vary.
Notable members
Families that can look similar
Amaranthaceae
Compare against Amaranthaceae when the plant shares similar leaves, flowers, or fruit. Confirm by checking the full family pattern.
Compare AmaranthaceaeCombretaceae
Compare against Combretaceae when the plant shares similar leaves, flowers, or fruit. Confirm by checking the full family pattern.
Compare CombretaceaeCelastraceae
Compare against Celastraceae when the plant shares similar leaves, flowers, or fruit. Confirm by checking the full family pattern.
Compare CelastraceaeUrticaceae
Compare against Urticaceae when the plant shares similar leaves, flowers, or fruit. Confirm by checking the full family pattern.
Compare UrticaceaeAll 7 species in NYMPHAEACEAE
- Fox-Nut, Gorgon FruitEuryale ferox
- European White WaterlilyNymphaea alba
- Yellow WaterlilyNymphaea mexicana
- Day WaterlilyNymphaea nouchali var. cyanea
- White Lotus, Night Lotus, Indian Water-Lily, Hairy WaterlilyNymphaea pubescens
- Red Waterlily, Indian Red WaterlilyNymphaea rubra
- Amazon Giant WaterlilyVictoria amazonica
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