Water Lily: Anatomy, Development, Growth, Importance, and Reproduction

Plant anatomy
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Plant anatomy
The water lilies are members of a larger family of similar plants called Nymphaeaceae. They are found in temperate and tropical climates around as rhizomatous aquatic herbs. Their leaves, which are mostly round, and their flowers, are found floating on bodies of water that vary in size. They are, however, rooted in the soil beneath the water masses. Different water lilies vary in the number of floral parts that they contain. Some water lilies have more floral parts than others. The lilies with less floral parts are either wind pollinated, or they are pollinated by bees and flies. The lilies with more floral parts are considered to be pollinated mainly by beetles and are considered to have a beetle pollination syndrome ('Water Lilies', 2001).
Anatomy of the water lily: most water lilies have rounded, waxy-coated, variously notched leaves. Their stems are fleshy and thick, and they arise from creeping stalks that are buried in the mud under the water mass. Their flowers are developed on or above the water surface and are bright with a pleasant fragrance. They appear to be cuplike and have an arrangement of numerous petals in spiral form. The flowers of most lilies have multiple stamens. This is the male reproductive structures of the flowers. The flowers also open mostly in the morning or the evening to attract multiple pollinators. The fruits of the water lily are either nutlike or berrylike in appearance. They can be found either submerged in water or on the water surface. They ripen and either rupture or decay depending on whether they are submerged or on the surface and the seeds either float away or sink to the surface (Conard, 1995).
Development of a water lily: The seeds of a water lily are mostly found in a mostly submerged berry-like fruit. When the fruit raptures it releases over 2000 seeds that float to the surface of the water. At the surface of the water, the seeds absorb water that enables them to sink to the floor where they get buried, and a rhizome starts growing. A new lily plant. The stem of the new plant sprouts from the rhizome and rises all the way to the surface of the water. At the surface, a round, flat, and water repellent single leaf are produced from the stem. The leaf could appear dark purple or red on its underside to facilitate the process of photosynthesis. The stem works as a medium of transport for air from the surface to the rhizome below. A single flower is also produced by the ste...