Taxon:  Nymphaea capensis Thunb.



Summary
Genus:
Nymphaea
Subgenus:
Brachyceras
Family:
Nymphaeaceae
Nomen number:
415615
Place of publication:
Prodr. pl. cap. 92.  1800
Comment:
relationship to Asian N. nouchali needs further study
Verified:
12/13/1999 ARS Systematic Botanists.
Accessions:
0 (0  active, 0  available) in National Plant Germplasm System. 
Other conspecific taxa
Nymphaea capensis Thunb. var. alba K. C. Landon (0 active accession[s])
Nymphaea capensis Thunb. var. capensis (0 active accession[s])
Conservation Status

Reference(s)
  1. University of Georgia Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health
  2. APHIS. Agricultural Risk Management System United States Department of Agriculture.
  3. Bosser, J. M. et al., eds. 1976-. Flores des Mascareignes. Note: mentions
  4. Erhardt, W. et al. 2002. Zander: Handwörterbuch der Pflanzennamen, 17. Auflage
  5. Exell, A. W. et al., eds. 1960-. Flora zambesiaca.
  6. Hammel, B. E. et al., eds. 2003-. Manual de plantas de Costa Rica
  7. Integrated Botanical Information System (IBIS). Australian plant common name database (on-line resource).
  8. La-ongsri, W. et al. 2009. A synopsis of Thai Nymphaeaceae. Nordic J. Bot. 27:104.
  9. Mauve, A. A. 1967. Water-lilies in South Africa. Fauna & Fl. (Pretoria) 18:31-35.
  10. Merxmüller, H., ed. 1966-1972. Prodromus einer flora von Sudwestafrika.
  11. Robyns, W. et al., eds. 1948-1963. Flore du Congo belge et du Ruanda-Urundi
  12. Turrill, W. B. et al., eds. 1952-. Flora of tropical East Africa. Note: sensu auct = Nymphaea nouchali var. zanzibariensis (Casp.) Verdc.; sensu Thunb. = Nymphaea nouchali var. caerulea (Savigny) Verdc.
  13. Wiersema, J. H. 1997. Nymphaea. In: FNA Editorial Committee, Flora of North America.
Common names
LanguageNameAlternate namenoteseqCitation
Englishblue water-lily  1Erhardt, W. et al. 2002. Zander: Handwörterbuch der Pflanzennamen, 17. Auflage
EnglishCape blue water-lily  1Wiersema, J. H. 1997. Nymphaea. In: FNA Editorial Committee, Flora of North America.
EnglishCape water-lily  1Integrated Botanical Information System (IBIS). Australian plant common name database (on-line resource).
Germanblaue Seerose  2Erhardt, W. et al. 2002. Zander: Handwörterbuch der Pflanzennamen, 17. Auflage
Swedishdvärglotus  2Aldén, B., S. Ryman, & M. Hjertson. 2012. Svensk Kulturväxtdatabas, SKUD (Swedish Cultivated and Utility Plants Database; online resource)
Distribution
order_codeStatusContinentSubcontinentCountryStateNoteReference
1NativeAfricaEast Tropical AfricaKenya  Turrill, W. B. et al., eds. 1952-. Flora of tropical East Africa. Note: sensu auct = Nymphaea nouchali var. zanzibariensis (Casp.) Verdc.; sensu Thunb. = Nymphaea nouchali var. caerulea (Savigny) Verdc.
1NativeAfricaEast Tropical AfricaTanzania  Turrill, W. B. et al., eds. 1952-. Flora of tropical East Africa. Note: sensu auct = Nymphaea nouchali var. zanzibariensis (Casp.) Verdc.; sensu Thunb. = Nymphaea nouchali var. caerulea (Savigny) Verdc.
1NativeAfricaSouth Tropical AfricaMozambique  Exell, A. W. et al., eds. 1960-. Flora zambesiaca.
1NativeAfricaSouth Tropical AfricaZambia  Exell, A. W. et al., eds. 1960-. Flora zambesiaca.
1NativeAfricaSouthern AfricaBotswana  Germishuizen, G. & N. L. Meyer, eds. 2003. Plants of southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14 National Botanical Institute, Pretoria, South Africa.
1NativeAfricaSouthern AfricaEswatini  Germishuizen, G. & N. L. Meyer, eds. 2003. Plants of southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14 National Botanical Institute, Pretoria, South Africa.
1NativeAfricaSouthern AfricaNamibia  Germishuizen, G. & N. L. Meyer, eds. 2003. Plants of southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14 National Botanical Institute, Pretoria, South Africa.
1NativeAfricaSouthern AfricaSouth AfricaEastern Cape Germishuizen, G. & N. L. Meyer, eds. 2003. Plants of southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14 National Botanical Institute, Pretoria, South Africa.
1NativeAfricaSouthern AfricaSouth AfricaFree State Germishuizen, G. & N. L. Meyer, eds. 2003. Plants of southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14 National Botanical Institute, Pretoria, South Africa.
1NativeAfricaSouthern AfricaSouth AfricaGauteng Germishuizen, G. & N. L. Meyer, eds. 2003. Plants of southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14 National Botanical Institute, Pretoria, South Africa.
1NativeAfricaSouthern AfricaSouth AfricaKwaZulu-Natal Germishuizen, G. & N. L. Meyer, eds. 2003. Plants of southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14 National Botanical Institute, Pretoria, South Africa.
1NativeAfricaSouthern AfricaSouth AfricaLimpopo Germishuizen, G. & N. L. Meyer, eds. 2003. Plants of southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14 National Botanical Institute, Pretoria, South Africa.
1NativeAfricaSouthern AfricaSouth AfricaMpumalanga Germishuizen, G. & N. L. Meyer, eds. 2003. Plants of southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14 National Botanical Institute, Pretoria, South Africa.
1NativeAfricaSouthern AfricaSouth AfricaNorth-West Germishuizen, G. & N. L. Meyer, eds. 2003. Plants of southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14 National Botanical Institute, Pretoria, South Africa.
1NativeAfricaSouthern AfricaSouth AfricaWestern Cape Germishuizen, G. & N. L. Meyer, eds. 2003. Plants of southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14 National Botanical Institute, Pretoria, South Africa.
1NativeAfricaWestern Indian OceanMadagascar possiblyHumbert, J.-H., ed. 1936-. Flore de Madagascar et des Comores. Note: = Nymphaea stellata Willd.
1NativeAfricaWestern Indian OceanMauritius possiblyBosser, J. M. et al., eds. 1976-. Flores des Mascareignes. Note: mentions
2Cultivated    also cult. in tropicsErhardt, W. et al. 2002. Zander: Handwörterbuch der Pflanzennamen, 17. Auflage
4Naturalized    natzd. elsewhere in tropics 
4NaturalizedAsia-TropicalIndo-ChinaThailand  La-ongsri, W. et al. 2009. A synopsis of Thai Nymphaeaceae. Nordic J. Bot. 27:104.
4NaturalizedAustralasiaAustraliaAustralia e.Jacobs, S. W. L. 1994. Further notes on Nymphaea (Nymphaeaceae) in Australasia. Telopea 5:705. Note: = Nymphaea caerulea subsp. zanzibariensis (Casp.) S. W. L. Jacobs
4NaturalizedNorthern AmericaSoutheastern U.S.A.United StatesFlorida Wiersema, J. H. 1997. Nymphaea. In: FNA Editorial Committee, Flora of North America.
Native
Africa
  • EAST TROPICAL AFRICA: Kenya, Tanzania
  • SOUTH TROPICAL AFRICA: Mozambique, Zambia
  • SOUTHERN AFRICA: Botswana, Namibia, Eswatini, South Africa [Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North-West, Western Cape]
  • WESTERN INDIAN OCEAN: Madagascar (possibly), Mauritius (possibly)
Cultivated (also cult. in tropics)
Naturalized

  • REGION:
Asia-Tropical
  • INDO-CHINA: Thailand
Australasia
  • AUSTRALIA: Australia (e.)
Northern America
  • SOUTHEASTERN U.S.A.: United States [Florida]

Reference(s)
  1. Bosser, J. M. et al., eds. 1976-. Flores des Mascareignes. Note: mentions
  2. Erhardt, W. et al. 2002. Zander: Handwörterbuch der Pflanzennamen, 17. Auflage
  3. Exell, A. W. et al., eds. 1960-. Flora zambesiaca.
  4. Germishuizen, G. & N. L. Meyer, eds. 2003. Plants of southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14 National Botanical Institute, Pretoria, South Africa.
  5. Humbert, J.-H., ed. 1936-. Flore de Madagascar et des Comores. Note: = Nymphaea stellata Willd.
  6. Jacobs, S. W. L. 1994. Further notes on Nymphaea (Nymphaeaceae) in Australasia. Telopea 5:705. Note: = Nymphaea caerulea subsp. zanzibariensis (Casp.) S. W. L. Jacobs
  7. La-ongsri, W. et al. 2009. A synopsis of Thai Nymphaeaceae. Nordic J. Bot. 27:104.
  8. Turrill, W. B. et al., eds. 1952-. Flora of tropical East Africa. Note: sensu auct = Nymphaea nouchali var. zanzibariensis (Casp.) Verdc.; sensu Thunb. = Nymphaea nouchali var. caerulea (Savigny) Verdc.
  9. Wiersema, J. H. 1997. Nymphaea. In: FNA Editorial Committee, Flora of North America.
Cite as: USDA, Agricultural Research Service, National Plant Germplasm System. 2026. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN Taxonomy). National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland.
URL: https://npgstest.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxon/taxonomydetail?id=415615. Accessed 12 May 2026.