The Blue Water Lily (Nymphaea 'Blue Beauty')

The flowers of water lilies (Nymphaea sp.), despite being one of the most primitive we know, present ingenious and fascinating pollination strategies. The flower only lasts four days, presenting itself as female on the first day and then male on the remaining days. This way, cross-pollination is favoured, which promotes genetic diversity and consequently greater adaptability to environmental variations. In the photo in the foreground is the Blue Water Lily (Nymphaea ‘Blue Beauty’), a variety of tropical ornamental water lily that blooms during the day in the central pond of the Rose Garden at the Botanical Garden of the University of Porto.