White water lily in Polissia
Nymphaea alba
The white water lily is an aquatic plant with large, round, deeply notched leaves that float on the surface of the water. Its flowers are large and snow-white, with numerous petals and a yellow centre. The thick rhizome is rooted in the mud at the bottom.
The water lily grows in lakes, oxbows, ponds and slow rivers with still, warm water. In Polissia it is common in the lakes of Shatsk National Park and in the oxbows of the Prypiat, Stokhid, Desna and Horyn.
The flowers open in the morning and close towards evening, and in dull weather they may not open at all. The yellow water lily, with smaller yellow flowers, often grows nearby.
Do not pick water lilies: a picked flower wilts quickly, and the stems are easily damaged. Besides, pulling water lilies from a boat is dangerous – the long, flexible stems can entangle a swimmer.
When to see: June–August, the flowers open in the morning
Where it was seen in Polissia
Observations from the open scientific database GBIF since 1990.
More in “Plants”
Stag's-horn clubmoss
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Martagon lily
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Common hawthorn
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A low shrub that at the end of summer colours Polissia's pine forests and heaths lilac.