"Dwarf" Lotus - Nymphea

["David A. Youngker" <jaafaman at mindspring_com>]

One of the local stores here has obtained a lily that they're selling as a
"Dwarf Lotus", but they've labeled it as N. stellata. Hmmm...references I
find for stellata seem to indicate that it's _big_ and _green_.

I'm looking for something that *does* stay on the small side - I've had to
dispose of two large red varieties already because I seem to be _too_
successful with them. They certainly grow too large for a 38-gal, and even a
55 has trouble containing one. I have a deeper-bodied 75-gal, but I'm not
anxious to take up so much space in it either.

The leaves on the specimens in the store are indeed much smaller than the
others I've encountered, and do contain spotted red pigmentation, so before
I purchase it I tried looking for something on Google. The only dwarf red
I've found referenced so far is Nymphea pygmea "rubra", but the few URLs for
it are either text only, dead links or pond references that give no clear
indication of its submersed size and coloration.

Can anyone point me in the direction of any of the other Dwarf varieties or
give me a clearer understanding of the size I might be dealing with for
pygmea?...


-Y-

David A. Youngker
jaafaman at mindspring_com