Blooming water lily, reflection on the water. by Marjolein Zijlstra

About "Blooming water lily, reflection on the water."

by Marjolein Zijlstra

About the artwork

White water lily, in Latin Nymphaea alba, is one of the most appealing aquatic plants adorning Dutch waters and ponds in gardens and parks.
In our large ponds, cut-off estuaries, slow-flowing rivers and lakes, the large round floating leaves and white to pink flowers of the White water lily, Nymphaea alba, stand out. They often cover large areas as long as the water depth is not too great up to, say, about three metres. When you see White water lily in our waters, it is a sign that the water quality is good. Flowering of the water lily usually takes place from May to September. The flowers can range from 6 to as much as 18 cm. Sometimes you can also see some red colouring in the flowers, and varieties are bred that are up to almost completely red. Four sepals and many petals are implanted on the broad flower base, as are many stamens arranged in a spiral. The semisubmersible ovary is polygonal and has a broad disc at the top with striate, sessile stigmas. In the centre of the somewhat funnel-shaped downward curving disc is a conical tubercle. After fertilisation by insects, especially bees, beetles and flies that descend on the pollen, this produces a globular to bottle-shaped, berry-like fruit that contains many seeds. The rotting fruit detaches from the stalk, falls apart and the seeds in their slimy mass float on the water and are dispersed by wave action, wind, but also by aquatic animals eating them and thus spreading them.