The difference between water lily and bowl lotus

Introduction to Water Lily and Bowl Lotus

Water Lily

Water lily is also called meridian lotus, pink water lily, wild water lily, dwarf water lily, and dwarf water lily. The flowers are large and beautiful, and the leaves are both floating and submerged. The flowers of water lilies are distinctive, opening during the day and closing at night. The petals vary in color from white, blue, yellow, to pink.

Water lilies are rarely grown at home except in larger gardens or ponds; they are more commonly seen as green areas for park water bodies.

Lotus

The bowl lotus is also called white lotus, hibiscus, and lotus, but the bowl lotus is not a true lotus. The leaves of the bowl lotus are round, and the leaves are floating leaves and upright leaves. The flowering period of bowl lotus is from June to September, and the colors of the flowers include red, pink, white, purple, with colorful patterns and borders.

The intuitive difference between bowl lotus and water lily

Different sizes

This is the most intuitive difference between bowl lotus and water lily. The smallest planting container for bowl lotus is a bowl, and the smallest container for water lily is a tank. The size of the plant can be seen from the size of the container! Bowl lotus is smaller, but can be grown indoors or on balconies. Water lilies are relatively large and are suitable for planting in large pots or ponds in courtyards or gardens.

Leaves look different

The leaves of bowl lotus and water lily are completely different. The leaves of the bowl lotus are round, the stem is made of a small white dot in the middle, and the leaves are floating or upright. Although the leaves of water lilies are also round, there is a notch on one side of the leaf, and the point where the stem is made is located on the side of the notch.

Different flowers

The petals of the bowl lotus are almost round, and the leaves are concentrated, small and agile. The color of the bowl lotus is relatively simple, usually only red and yellow, and the size is about 5 cm. The most important point is that after the bowl lotus blooms, it will leave behind cute little lotus seeds.

The petals of water lilies are long and narrow, the flowers are slightly larger, and the colors of water lilies vary, including red, pink, white, and yellow. There is nothing left after flowering.

Botanical Differences Between Water Lilies and Bowl Lilies

Different attributes

Both bowl lotus and water lily belong to the Nymphaeaceae family. Their basic form and growth habits are the same, but bowl lotus belongs to the genus Nelumbo and water lily belongs to the genus Nymphaea. The different genera determine the obvious differences in their morphology.

Different cold resistance

Bowl lotus is not cold-resistant, so if you grow it at home, you should move it indoors in winter to avoid frostbite. Water lilies usually overwinter outdoors. The above-ground parts wither and grow leaves again in the spring of the following year, enhancing their cold resistance.