Aquatic Plant Database

Welcome to the IWGS Aquatic Plant Database

The aim of the IWGS Plant Database is to provide a definitive source of information on all aquatic plants.

As official Registrars for waterlilies (Nymphaea) and lotus (Nelumbo), the Society maintains records of historical and newly hybridized varieties, helping to ensure that plants are correctly named and avoiding duplication of names.

Explore the IWGS Plant Database – your go-to resource for comprehensive and up-to-date information on aquatic plants.

Discover the latest varieties of waterlilies (Nymphaea) and lotuses (Nelumbo), and use this database to:

Identify your waterlily or lotus with ease
Find inspiration for your next planting season
Browse award-winning plants
Read notes and view photos from hybridizers and hobbyists
Locate plants for purchase at nearby nurseries with the Plant Finder tool

The records contain 4834 plant names, with over 12156 images, and horticultural data where available.

We encourage contributions to this project from hybridizers, growers, enthusiasts, and the IWGS membership.

Anyone is welcome to register and start contributing to this project, and help further the aims of the society to promote education, research, and conservation in water gardens and their associated plants.

The IWGS Plant Database can be viewed at plants.iwgs.org

Alternatively you can click on one of the links below to see plants within that genus.

We have exciting new features in the IWGS database.

Offspring

You can now see if a plant has been used as a mother or father for other hybrids. A good example is Nymphaea ‘Mayla’.

It has many progeny with good photos, is also sold by many nurseries and has identification data.

The home page now shows the most popular search terms for the last three years. ⁠We have included photos, descriptions and other data for 600 existing new records.

⁠It is not just about waterlilies!

Lotuses and other aquatic plants will be added soon. Have a look at what we have already uploaded!

Please help us by uploading your own photos to our plant database. A committee of experts will review and publish them. And remember that this database is fully accessible and will always remain that way to spread the knowledge about aquatic plants.