Dale Wimbrow, Purple Waterlilies, August 16, 2016

On a recent visit to Dale Wimbrow Park, we found that the small pond that had been filled with cattails had been cleared of the cattails and pretty purple waterlilies now grew there. We returned on August 16, 2016 to photograph the water lilies. They turned out to be non-natives, escapes from someone's water garden. The lilies are Nymphaea capensis var. zanzibariensis, family Nymphaeaceae, common name Cap Blue Waterlily. They have been found in the wild in about 10 counties in peninsula Florida. This species has 12-24 petals, blue, lavender, or purple. Leaf margins are sinuate to almost dentate.

Dale Wimbrow Park is located on the St. Sebastian River, which can be seen in the background in the first photo below.

 

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