So far, I’ve identified two species of water-lily: Nymphaea puchella and the more common Nymphaea amazonum. N. pulchella is currently flowering and has a wavy margin on it’s floating leaves, while N. amazonum hasn’t begun flowering yet and seems to have smaller leaves. The flowers below are from N. pulchella.
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Do you see much herbivory on the Nymphaea? Does it differ between the two species? Are they both native? Are there any species of Nuphar present as well?
Best…
No, I haven’t seen much herbivory on the Nymphaea, but there are usually splotches of dark purple on the amazonum. The purple is a diagnostic characteristic in Aquatic Plants of Palo Verde, but I wonder if it is a property of the plant itself, or a response to microbial infection or some minor herbivory.
There are 4 or 5 Nymphaea species native and no Nuphar.