2. Nymphaea L. (water lily)

Thirty-five to 40 species, nearly worldwide.

Padgett (2001) reported a small population of the canary water lily, N. ×marliacea Wildsmith (reported as possibly cv. ‘Chromatella’), in a small pond in Greene County. It is a popular plant in horticulture that arose through crosses between N. alba L. (European white water lily) and N. mexicana Zucc. (yellow water lily) and is propagated mainly by the slender, elongate tubers, which are produced in dense clusters from the tips of the rhizome branches in the autumn. This taxon differs from the water lilies native to Missouri in its yellow petals and purple mottling on the upper leaf surface. Numerous other water lilies are cultivated in ponds around the state, including cultivars with various flower colors ranging from light to bright pink and purple to blue, as well as various leaf shapes and colorings. However, to date, none of these has been documented as an escape in more natural environments.