Spotted Water Lily Plant Care
Nymphaea maculata Schumach. & Thonn.
Updated · Sources · How we source care data
Nymphaea maculata is a species of waterlily native to tropical Africa.
Full sun to partial shade
At a glance
How do you care for Spotted Water Lily?
Spotted Water Lily grows best in full sun to partial shade.
Where Is the Spotted Water Lily Native To?
- Angola
- Benin
- Burkina Faso
- Burundi
- Cameroon
- Cape Verde
- Central African Republic
- Chad
- Côte d'Ivoire
- Djibouti
- DR Congo
- Equatorial Guinea
- Eritrea
- Ethiopia
- Gabon
- Ghana
- Guinea
- Guinea-Bissau
- Kenya
- Liberia
- Malawi
- Mali
- Mauritania
- Mozambique
- Niger
- Nigeria
- Republic of the Congo
- Rwanda
- Sao Tome and Principe
- Senegal
- Sierra Leone
- Somalia
- South Sudan
- Sudan
- Tanzania
- The Gambia
- Togo
- Uganda
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
What Is the Spotted Water Lily?
Spotted Water Lily (Nymphaea maculata) belongs to the Nymphaeaceae family within the Nymphaea genus. Spotted Water Lily is native to tropical Africa. Spotted Water Lily is also known as Maculated Water Lily.
Spotted Water Lily displays a floating aquatic plant growth habit, reaching up to tall with a spread of approximately . Spotted Water Lily produces showy, fragrant, solitary flowers in various colors.
What Light Does the Spotted Water Lily Need?
Spotted Water Lily thrives in full sun to partial shade.
Light Requirement
Full sun to partial shade
What Soil Mix Works Best for a Spotted Water Lily?
Rich loamy soil with a layer of clay and organic matter, aquatic planting media. Good drainage is essential for Spotted Water Lily to prevent waterlogging, which leads to root rot and fungal issues.
How Do You Repot a Spotted Water Lily?
Repot every 1-2 years in early spring. Choose a pot one size larger than the current container, and ensure it has drainage holes to allow excess water to escape.
How Do You Propagate a Spotted Water Lily?
Spotted Water Lily can be propagated through division of rhizomes, seeds. Similar propagation techniques also apply to white water lily plant care, which shares the same genus.
Is the Spotted Water Lily Toxic to Pets and Children?
Pet safety not verified
The ASPCA does not list Spotted Water Lily, so we can't confirm whether it is safe for cats and dogs. Keep pets from chewing it as a precaution.
This is a general caution, not veterinary or medical advice. If your pet ate a plant, contact your vet or animal poison control.
See all plants toxic to cats and plants toxic to dogs.
What Pests and Diseases Affect the Spotted Water Lily?
Spotted Water Lily is susceptible to aphids, leaf miners, snails. Inspect the foliage regularly, especially along leaf undersides and stems. Treat infestations promptly with insecticidal soap or neem oil to prevent spread.
Yellow leaves, brown tips or drooping? See common plant problems and how to fix them.
Keep exploring plants
Spotted Water Lily is one of many species covered in the complete plant care and identification guide, which groups plants by genus, attribute, and popularity.
It belongs to the Nymphaea genus — compare its care with other Nymphaea species on PlantoScan.
Nymphaea is part of the Nymphaeaceae plant family — browse all Nymphaeaceae genera and species.
Spotted Water Lily thrives in bright light and direct sun — see other bright-light plants.
More Nymphaea Species
Other Nymphaea species in PlantoScan's care catalogue share similar watering, light, and soil preferences:
Sources
- Scientific name & taxonomy: Nymphaea maculata Schumach. & Thonn., family Nymphaeaceae (first published in Beskr. Guin. Pl. : 247 (1827)) — World Flora Online record, IPNI name record.
- Pet toxicity: Pet safety not verified: the ASPCA does not list Spotted Water Lily, so we can't confirm whether it is safe for cats and dogs. Checked against the ASPCA plant list; any other toxicity note on this page comes from PlantoScan's plant database.
- Care values(watering, light, temperature, humidity, soil, fertilizing): PlantoScan's plant database, filtered by automatic plausibility checks — values that fail them are hidden. How we source and check plant data.
Spotted a mistake? Email info@upvision.media with the page link — we check and correct reported errors.
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