Nymphaea Marliacea Ignea - Waterlily

The Nymphaea 'Marliacea Ignea' is an excellent variety of medium-sized hardy water lily that produces many beautiful carmine red flowers throughout the summer. They float on the water among beautiful round leaves of a dark bronze green. It is an easy-to-grow water lily, awarded in England for its performance in the aquatic garden. This variety is suitable for medium to large bodies of water, and its rhizome should be planted in water under 20 to 60 cm.

The 'Marliacea Ignea' Water Lily (also known as 'Fire Marliac') is an old French horticultural creation by Latour-Marliac from before 1922. It is a perennial with deciduous foliage belonging to the Nymphaeaceae family. Starting from spring, this plant develops numerous floating leaves measuring 12 to 15 cm in diameter on a mature plant. The leaves are round, with a slightly open sinus. Their colour is dark bronze-green on top, while the underside is coppery brown. The plant, vigorous yet compact, spreads over approximately 1 m². The particularly abundant flowering usually begins in June and continues until late summer. The flowers measure 10 cm in diameter and float on the water. These corollas open during the day and close in the evening. Their centre is adorned with numerous red stamens and orange anthers. Each flower lives for 4 to 5 days before wilting; another flower returns underwater and replaces it. The highly fragrant flowering is followed by the formation of fruits containing numerous seeds. The fruit ripens underwater and releases floating seeds that eventually sink and germinate in the mud. Water lilies are hardy as long as their rhizome does not freeze in winter. It is essential to ensure that the water does not freeze at the depth where they are planted.

Choose varieties of water lilies that are easy to grow, hardy, floriferous, and, above all, proportionate to your pond. Water lilies are among the most beautiful perennial pond plants and have perfectly shaped flowers. Most of them bloom for long weeks until early autumn. Water lilies are essential aquatic plants for maintaining a balanced garden pond, as they contribute to water oxygenation. Their floating leaves provide shade and shelter for your fish, protecting them from predatory insects such as aphids.

The genus name comes from the Greek nymphaea and the Latin name nymphaea, which means "water lily". The nymphs of Greek and Latin mythology inspired them. Nymphaea bears flowers that are sometimes diurnal, nocturnal, and occasionally fragrant.