Nymphaeaceae

Tropical royalblue waterlily

Nymphaea elegans Hook.

Family: Nymphaeaceae
Genus: Nymphaea

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Tropical royalblue waterlily (Nymphaea elegans) — FlowerPhoto: Clifton Ladd, C.W.B., CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist

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Common names

By language (4)

Arabic: نيلوفر أنيق
Chinese: 美洲睡莲
English: Tropical royalblue waterlily
Swedish: Golfnäckros

Synonyms

Castalia elegans (Hook.) Greene
Leuconymphaea elegans (Hook.) Kuntze
Nymphaea mexicana A.Gray

Flowers

In flower: May, July to November (from 222 flowering iNaturalist observations worldwide)

Characteristics

Growth habit: Forb/herb
Lifespan: Perennial
In the US and Canada: Lower 48 states: native

Photos

FlowerPhoto: Clifton Ladd, C.W.B., CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
FlowerPhoto: Francisco Farriols Sarabia, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
FlowerPhoto: Sinaloa Silvestre, CC0, from iNaturalist
FlowerPhoto: Oscar Gonzalez Diaz, CC0, from iNaturalist
FlowerPhoto: Francisco Farriols Sarabia, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
FlowerPhoto: Francisco Farriols Sarabia, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
FlowerPhoto: Jay Horn, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
FlowerPhoto: Juan Chavez, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
FlowerPhoto: Francisco Farriols Sarabia, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Wikimedia Commons contributor, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Marianne Serra from Miami, USA, CC BY 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Brand R, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist

More in Nymphaea

Sources: classification, synonyms from World Flora Online Plant List (2026-06, CC0 1.0); common names, popularity from Wikidata (2026-10-26, CC0 1.0); common names, US characteristics from USDA PLANTS Database (2025-05-29, CC0 1.0). About our plant data.