White water lily - Sörmland's province flower
Published by Stefanie Schlosser in Province symbols · 23 December 2021
Tags: waterlily, nature, provincesymbol
Tags: waterlily, nature, provincesymbol
Water lilies (Nymphaeaceae) appear in great variety of shape, size and color. Around 70 species are known today and they can briefly be classified in two categories: the hardy water lilies, which tolerate frost and the tropical water lilies which do not tolerate frost and flower all year round.
Apparently, the white water lily (Nymphea alba) belongs to the hardies, since it grows all over Sweden.
While both leaves and flowers of water lilies appear floating, one who takes a swim between them will quickly notice the long, bendable stems growing down to the lakes bottom. Unlike floating water plants, all water lilies are rooted in the muddy ground. Their roots, however, need oxygen as the roots of land plants do as well. The stems of the water lily contain not only the standard fluid-conducting tissue but as well an air-conducting tissue in order to enable gas transport in both directions, from the leaves to the roots and back. Younger leaves are able to induce enough pressure in order to squeeze fresh air down to the roots while the stems of older leaves serve to transport waste gases back to the surface.
Even hardy water lilies are perennial plants and as long as the bottom of the pond or lake doesn’t freeze, their roots survive and simply grow new leaves and flowers in spring. Perfectly adapted to their habitat, the leaves of water lilies are covered by a waxy layer, the so-called cuticula. It causes water to quickly drip off and therefore not only prevents the leaves from sinking but as well keeps their surface dry which leads to a higher photosynthesis rate.
Water lilies are not only pretty to look at but as well of great service to the ecosystem. By covering great areas of the waterbodies’ surface, they give shelter to fish and keep the water temperature low even in hot summers. Nymphea also prevents mass-growth of algae, which otherwise can pose a big risk to small bodies of water in the warmer and warmer summers. Not only do water lilies keep the temperature down but as well prevent light from reaching under the surface. They even absorb a great amount of nutrients which otherwise would be available for algae growth. So, without the beautiful water lilies, algae would benefit of higher temperatures, more sunlight and more nutrients!
I chose to dedicate this blog post to Nymphea alba, the white water lily, because it is Sörmland’s province flower. At that point, I knew little about the interesting characteristics of this beautiful plant that I myself have already seen many times on the Swedish lakes. The title image is taken on lake Mellan Marviken.
All Swedish provinces do not only have a province flower but many more province symbols, such as provinces birds, fish, trees, mosses, stones and more. I will surely pick up Sörmland’s symbols in further articles.
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