Nymphaea tetragona (Pygmy Water Lily) is a perennial aquatic plant boasting round, mid green leaves, 1-5 in. long (2-12 cm), sometimes mottled red-brown to purple. Floating on the surface of the water, they create a lovely backdrop for the white to pinkish, yellow-centered flowers. Each slightly fragrant, cup-shaped blossom, up to 2 in. across (5 cm), features 7-15 scalloped petals surrounding a conspicuous bouquet of golden stamens. Blooming all summer, the flowers open in the afternoon and close in the evening. Their fruit is a berry-like, leathery, many-seeded capsule that opens to release a jelly-like seed mass. Native to Northern Europe, Subarctic America to Northwestern USA, Pygmy Water Lily is found in ponds, swamps, lakes, and quiet streams in the lowland and montane zones. This dwarf water lily prefers more cold than many others and is ideally suited to growing in a small pond or tub in a sheltered, sunny site.

• Grows up to 2-4 in. tall (5-10 cm) and 16-18 in. wide (40-45 cm).
• Performs best in full sun in a rich soil in still water. Prefers a pH between 6 and 7. Best grown in 6-12 in. (15-30 cm) of water. Apply a slow-release fertilizer on a monthly basis.
• A beautiful addition to small ponds and water gardens.
• It reproduces by seed and cannot be divided vegetatively. 
• Susceptible to pests or diseases.
• Nymphaea tetragona is native to Northern Europe to Korea and Himalaya, Subarctic America to Northwestern USA.