Nymphaea stellata

This aquatic plant is native to the Indian Subcontinent. It was spread to other countries already in ancient times and has been long valued as a garden flower in Thailand and Myanmar to decorate ponds and gardens. It grows from rhizomes or tubers rooted under the water.

Leaves are oval to round. Leaves may spread 1.4 to 1.5 m from where the rhizome is rooted. Flowers, which have little fragrance, are stellate (star-shaped) with 4 sepals and 10 to 16 petals, and are 5 to 13 cm in diameter. Although leaves float on the water surface, flowers are generally held 30 cm above water. They are usually pale blue (but can be pink or white) with pale yellow stamens and anthe Flower of N. stellata contains a lead compound Nymphayol. The structure was determined on the basis of X-ray crystallography and spectral data. The flowers of the plant contain flavonoids, gallic acid, astragalin, quercetin, and kaempferol. Recently, Nymphaea stellata flowers have been reported to have hepatoprotective activity against CCl4-induced hepatic damage.