Nymphaea candida is a species of perennial, aquatic, rhizomatous herb in the family Nymphaeaceae native to the region spanning from Europe to Siberia and Western Himalaya.
Nymphaea candida is a perennial, aquatic, rhizomatous herb with unbranched, 5 cm wide rhizomes. The petiolate, stipulate, oval to suborbicular floating leaf with an entire margin and a deep basal sinus is 10âÂÂ30 cm long, and 25 cm wide. The oblong submerged leaves have a thin lamina and short petioles. The thick, terete, smooth, 30âÂÂ100(âÂÂ160) cm long petiole has air canals.
The bisexual, actinomorphic, 5âÂÂ15 cm wide flower floats on the water surface. The 4(âÂÂ5) oblong to ovate-oblong sepals are 3.8 cm long, and 1.3 cm wide. The 12âÂÂ20 white petals are 3âÂÂ5.5 cm long and show a gradual transition towards the stamens. The petals decrease in size towards the centre of the flower. The androecium consists of 32âÂÂ70 stamens. The gynoecium consists of 6âÂÂ14 carpels. The red or yellow stigmatic disk is concave. The green to red, ovoid to spherical, 1.9âÂÂ4.4 cm wide fruit with persistent sepals bears ellipsoid, brown, arillate, 4-6 mm long, and 3-4 mm wide seeds.
The chromosome count is 2n = 112, 160. The genome size is 1936.44 Mb.
The plant was described by Carl Borivoj Presl in 1882. However, sometimes both Carl Borivoj Presl and Jan Svatopluk Presl are credited as the taxon authors. Within the subgenus Nymphaea subg. Nymphaea it is placed in the section Nymphaea sect. Nymphaea.
The specific epithet candida from the Latin candidus means pure white.
It grows in the quiet freshwaters in Eurasia. The plant grows only in water, as it is an aquatic plant, mainly in ponds, lakes, and slow flowing streams.
It is endangered in China, and Germany.
It is cultivated as an ornamental plant in water gardens.