Nymphaea stellata
| Red and blue water lily | |
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| Species: | N. stellata
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| Nymphaea stellata | |
Red and blue water lily (Nymphaea stellata) is a water lily of genus Nymphaea.
Distribution and habitat
This aquatic plant is native to the Indian Subcontinent area. It was spread to other countries already in ancient times and has been long valued as a garden flower in Thailand and Myanmar to decorate ponds and gardens.
In its natural state the Red and blue water-lily is found in static or slow-flowing aquatic habitats of little to moderate depth.
Description
Nymphaea stellata is day blooming nonviviparous plant. Its flower is usually violet blue color with reddish edges. It has 4-5 sepals and 13-15 petals that have an angular appearance making the flower look star-shaped from above. The shape is cup-like with a diameter of 11-14 cm.
The round leaves are green on the top and have a darker underside. The floating leaves have undy edges that give them a crenellate appearance. Their size is about 20-23 cm and their spread is 0.9 to 1.8 m
Uses
Nymphaea stellata is the National flower of Sri Lanka where it is known as Nil Manel ("Nil" means ‘blue’ in Sinhala).[1] The Sinhalese name of this plant is often rendered as "blue lotus" in English. In Sri Lanka it usually grows in buffalo ponds and natural wetlands.
The Red and blue water-lily is used as an ornamental plant because of its beautiful flowers. It is also often used as an aquarium plant under the name "Dwarf Lily" or "Dwarf Red Lily".[2] Sometimes it is grown for its flowers, while other aquarists prefer to trim the lily pads, and just have the underwater foliage.
Nymphaea stellata is considered a medicinal plant in Indian Ayurvedic medicine under the name Ambal; it was mainly used to treat indigestion.[3] Recent experiments have confirmed that it has medicinal qualities as an antihepatotoxic and antidiabetic.[4] [5] Like all waterlilies or lotuses, its tubers and rhizomes can be used as food items; they are eaten usually boiled or roasted. In the case of the Red and blue water-lily, its tender leaves and flower peduncles are also valued as food.[6]
The dried plant is collected from ponds, tanks and marshes during the dry season and used in India as animal forage.[7]
See also
References
- ^ Zeylanica (Nymphaea stellata)
- ^ Dwarf Aquarium Lily (Nymphaea stellata)
- ^ P. V. Sharma, Puṣpāyurvedaḥ - Pradhāna vitaraka Caukhambhā Bhāratī Akādamī, 1998
- ^ MR Bhandarkar, A Khan - Antihepatotoxic effect of Nymphaea stellata willd., against carbon tetrachloride-induced hepatic damage in albino rats - Journal of ethnopharmacology, 2004
- ^ K Rajagopal, K Sasikala -Antidiabetic activity of hydro-ethanolic extracts of Nymphaea Stellata flowers- African Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, 2008
- ^ FR Irvine, RS Trickett - Waterlilies as Food - Kew Bulletin, 1953
- ^ A Banerjee, S Matai - Composition of Indian aquatic plants in relation to utilization as animal forage - Journal of Aquatic plant management, 1990
External links
- Perry D. Slocum: Waterlilies and Lotuses. Timber Press 2005, ISBN 0881926841 (restricted online version at Google Books)
- Ambal (Nymphaea stellata) - Flowers of India - Kerala Ayurvedics
- M. K. Kaul, Medicinal plants of Kashmir and Ladakh, 1997
