Nymphaea pubescens, the hairy water lily or pink water-lily, is a species of water lily.
Nymphaea pubescens is an annual or perennial, rhizomatous, aquatic herb with erect, stoloniferous, tuberous, up to 8 cm long rhizomes bearing slim stolons. The petiolate, ovate, elliptic, suborbicular, orbicular, or sagittate leaves with a dentate margin are 15âÂÂ40 cm long, and 12âÂÂ35 cm wide. The abaxial leaf surface is pubescent.
The flowers are quite large, about 15 cm in diameter when fully open. They tend to close during the daytime and open wide at night. Their color varies from white to pink, mauve or purple depending from the variety or hybrid.
It was published by Carl Ludwig Willdenow in 1799. It is placed in Nymphaea subg. Lotos.
The specific epithet pubescens means with soft short hairs.
This plant is common in shallow lakes and ponds throughout temperate and tropical Asia: Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Yunnan, Taiwan, Philippines, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and Malaysia.
It is also found in northeastern Australia and Papua New Guinea.
The hairy water lily is found both as a cultivated plant as well as in the wild. It prefers non-acidic waters and it does not tolerate temperatures below 15 ðC.
Nymphaea pubescens is used as an aquarium plant for large aquaria.
Nymphaea pubescens is known kokaa in Hindi and Kumuda in Sanskrit.