Water lily is commonly known as Shapla in Bangladesh. Shapla or water lily is the common aquatic flower that grows in ponds, beels, haors and lakes everywhere in the country. They are tuberous and are rooted in soil in bodies of water, with leaves and flowers floating on the water surface.In Bangladesh we can see very often and almost everywhere mainly four colors of water lilies . They are white, pink, red and light blue in color. The White Water lily is the national flower of Bangladesh.
Water lily flower is getting popular day by day in Bangladesh. People in many places are cultivating the water lily . There have some big project where tourists from different district come to enjoy natural beauty of Water Lily. Specially, Pink water lily are so beautiful to see. Many places people eat water lily or Shapla as vegetable. Water lily or Shapla is a delicious item of food for Bangladeshis. Rural people consume it as curry. Children are also fond of eating the stem and the fruit even green.
The leaves of the water lily are more round than heart-shaped, bright green, 15 to 30 cm in diameter with the slit about 1/3 the length of the leaf. Leaves usually float on the water’s surface. Flowers arise on separate stalks, have brilliant white or other colors petals (30 or more per flower) with yellow/red/pink or blue centers. The flowers may float or stick above the water and each opens in the morning and closes in the afternoon. The flowers are very fragrant.
Water Lily flowers are wonderfully showy and fragrant, lasting only few days. Some open during the day and close at night, others the opposite. Most are pollinated by beetles, moths or bees. After pollination, the stem curls up, pulling the flowers under the water where they die off and the seed develops. When ripe, up to 2000 seeds are released from each fruit. Young seeds float as they contain air pockets. They are then dispersed by water currents or by water birds that eat them. As they become waterlogged, they sink into the mud to germinate. The plant also spreads by sprouting from the creeping rhizomes.
The Water Lily’s leaves shade the water keeping it cool and thus allowing for more dissolved oxygen. The plant also provides hiding places for small aquatic creatures, which in turn attract predators. But in places where it has been introduced, the Water Lily can become a weed and blocking out sunlight and oxygen from the water and displacing local aquatic plants.