Nymphaea gigantea Hook.

Horticultural & Botanical History

‘This beautiful aquatic, which was one of the last and certainly the most remarkable of the late Mr. Bidwill’s introductions from Australia, is now in full flower with me; this, so far as I know, is the first instance of its flowering in Europe.  My plant is still young, and is far from having attained its full development, but it gave me an opportunity of proving its full identity with the N. gigantea, figured and described in the “Botanical Magazine”, and showed at the same time that it certainly will turn out a most magnificent and truly noble plant.  Its rich dark blue colour, nearly approaching to violet, is far superior to any other blue Nymphaeas, and combining this advantage with the extra size, the great abundance and the noble cupped form of the flowers, the N. gigantea will fulfil the prognostication of the late Mr. Bidwill, who proclaimed it a dangerous rival even to the royal Victoria herself.’  Louis van Houtte.  [GC p.647/1853].  Introduced to Britain in 1852.  [JD].  BM t.4647/1852.

History at Camden Park

Five bulbs of the blue waterlilly were presented to the Sydney Botanic Garden by William Macarthur on 28th May 1847.  [RBGS AB].  They had been received from the north of Australia, presumably from Bidwill.  This plant was never listed in the catalogues and probably did not thrive at Camden.  William Macarthur noted in a letter that he had no success with water plants due to the predations of Black Swans.

Notes