Red Water Lily, Mini Water Lily, Dwarf Lily, Red Indian Lily, Red Lily of the Nile

Last updated: February 8, 2026Reviewed date: February 8, 2026Reading time: 6 min read

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For severe symptoms, danger signs, pregnancy, child illness, or sudden worsening, seek urgent medical care.

বাংলা রোগী নোট এখনো যোগ করা হয়নি। পোস্ট এডিটরে “RX Bangla Patient Mode” বক্স থেকে সহজ বাংলা সারাংশ যোগ করুন।

এই তথ্য শিক্ষা ও সচেতনতার জন্য। এটি ডাক্তারি পরীক্ষা, রোগ নির্ণয় বা প্রেসক্রিপশনের বিকল্প নয়।

Article Summary

Key Takeaways

This article explains Leaves in simple medical language.
This article explains Red Water Lily Scientific Classification in simple medical language.
This article explains Scientific Name: Nymphaea rubra in simple medical language.
This article explains Traditional uses in simple medical language.

Educational health guideWritten for patient understanding and clinical awareness.

Reviewed content workflowUse writer and reviewer profiles for stronger trust.

Emergency safety firstUrgent warning signs are highlighted below.

Seek urgent medical care if you notice

These warning signs are general safety guidance. Local emergency numbers and clinical judgment should always come first.

Severe symptoms, breathing difficulty, fainting, confusion, or rapidly worsening illness.
New weakness, severe pain, high fever, or symptoms after a serious injury.
Any symptom that feels urgent, unusual, or unsafe for the patient.

Emergency now

Use emergency care for severe, sudden, rapidly worsening, or life-threatening symptoms.

See a doctor

Book a professional medical evaluation if symptoms persist, worsen, recur often, affect daily activities, or occur in a high-risk patient.

Learn safely

Use this article to understand possible causes, tests, treatment options, prevention, and questions to ask your clinician.

Nymphaea rubra belonging to family Mymphaceae is inherent to India, Thailand, and Nile delta. In Europe, it is cultivated as an aquarist plant. Leaves are called heterophyllie which refers to underwater surfaces that look different than those on water surfaces. They are acute, heart-shaped and petiole that grows nearly in the middle of the lamina. Leaves are first reddish than dark green and dentate at the leaf edge. Flowers are red and 15 cm in diameter. Flowers open at night and close in the morning. Fruits are brown green and are about 4 to 6 cm in diameter. Seeds are black, elliptic and about 1.8 mm long. Seeds are encircled by an arilus which includes air.

Name	Red Water Lily
Scientific Name	Nymphaea rubra
Native	The Indian subcontinent, naturalized in tropical Asia and cultivated in the Caribbean
Common/English Name	Red Water Lily, Mini Water Lily, Dwarf Lily, Red Indian Lily, Red Lily of the Nile
Name in Other Languages	Burmese: Krani, Kyar-Ni; French: Nenuphar Rouge, Lotus Rouge; German: Rote Seerose; India:– Assamese: Mokua, Ronga Seluk, Ronga Bhet, Seluk; Bengali: Lal Shapla, Hindu: Kokaa, Manipur: Tharo Angangba, Marathi: Lal Kamal (लाल कमल), Raktakamal (रक्तकमल), Mising, Assam: Li’ne Aluk, Sanskrit: Alagandha, Kumuda, Alipriya, Alohita, Raktakamal (रक्तकमल); Tamil: Atti; Tai-Khamyang, Assam: Ranga Podum; Telugu: Thaamara, Erra Kaluva; Urdu: Nilofar (नीलोफ़र); Japanese: Hime-Suiren; Portuguese: Ninfeia Vermelha; Spanish: Nenufar Rojo; Vietnamese: Bông Súng Ðỏ; English: Red Indian water lily; Kannada: Raktakamal
Rhizomes	Erect, pinkish corm-shaped
Leaves	20-50 cm in diameter
Flowering period	November-January
Flower	Aromatic, elegant lily, red, 12 to 15 cm in diameter
Fruit shape & size	Globose berry, 4-6 cm in diameter
Fruit color	Brown green
Seed	Ellipsoid, black, 1.8 mm long
Fruiting period	November-January

Red Water Lily Scientific Classification

Scientific Name: Nymphaea rubra

Rank	Scientific Name & (Common Name)
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)
Subkingdom	Viridiplantae (Green plants)
Infrakingdom	Streptophyta (Land plants)
Superdivision	Embryophyta
Division	Tracheophyta (Vascular plants, tracheophytes)
Class	Magnoliopsida
Order	Nymphaeales
Family	Nymphaeaceae (Water lilies)
Genus	Nymphaea L. (Waterlily, water lily)
Synonyms	Nymphaea rosea (Sims) Sweet Nymphaea rubra var. columbiana hort. Nymphaea rubra var. columbiana hort. ex F.Henkel et al. Nymphaea rubra var. krumbiegelii F.Henkel Nymphaea rubra var. rosea Sims Nymphaea ×sturtevantii J.N.Gerard

Plant description

Nymphaea rubra is a perennial herbaceous aquatic plant having pinkish and corm-shaped rhizomes rooted in sediment and forming slender stolons. Leaves are simple, 20 to 50 cm in diameter and subpeltate. Leaves (submerged) are sagittate or cordate with a reddish tint. Flowers are showy, bisexual, fragrant, hypogynous, polymerous measuring 15 cm across, and solitary on a dark red peduncle above water. Calyx is episepalous having four red oblongs to lanceolate and caduceus sepals. Corolla is elliptic to oblanceolate, 20-25 mm, and red to purple petals length is thrice longer than the breadth. The androecium is polyandrous and filaments are dark-red purple and petaloid. The ovary is globosely encased in a fleshy torus, syncarpous, multi-carpellate, and multi-focused. Fruit is a globose berry that encloses ellipsoid seeds.

Traditional uses

The flower is an astringent and cardiac tonic, helpful for heart palpitations.
Rhizomes are used as a cure for dyspepsia and dysentery.
People of Assam use the roots for vomiting.
Apply the powder of the dried root in an area with piles for 66 to 7 days.
The mixture of crushed rhizome powder with honey is used for piles, bleeding nose and dysentery in Manipur.
Apply the leaves paste to the body for fever and skin infection, or irritation, often causing pain, swelling, heat, or redness. সহজ বাংলা: শরীরের প্রদাহ; ব্যথা, ফোলা বা লালভাব হতে পারে।" data-rx-term="inflammation" data-rx-definition="Inflammation is the body’s response to injury, infection, or irritation, often causing pain, swelling, heat, or redness. সহজ বাংলা: শরীরের প্রদাহ; ব্যথা, ফোলা বা লালভাব হতে পারে।">inflammation.
Use the flowers as a treatment for cholera, diarrhea, hepatopathy, fever, and hyperdipisa.
Root decoction is used for kidney pain, bronchial catarrh or as a gargle for sore throats.
Use it in douche as a treatment for vaginal soreness and discharges.
A poultice prepared with the mixture of slippery elm, flax and red water lily is used for treating abscesses and boils.

Culinary uses

Use roasted seeds as a substitute for coffee.

References

Safety note: This is not a prescription or diagnosis. For severe symptoms, pregnancy danger signs, children with serious illness, chest pain, breathing difficulty, stroke-like weakness, or major injury, seek urgent care.

Which doctor may help?

Start with a registered doctor or the nearest qualified health center.

What to tell the doctor

Write when the problem started and how it changed.
Bring old prescriptions, investigation reports, and current medicines.
Write allergies, pregnancy status, diabetes, kidney/liver disease, and major past illnesses.
Bring one family member if the patient is weak, elderly, confused, or a child.

Questions to ask

What is the most likely cause of my symptoms?
Which danger signs mean I should go to hospital quickly?
Which tests are necessary now, and which can wait?
How should I take medicines safely and what side effects should I watch for?
When should I come for follow-up?

Tests to discuss

Vital signs: temperature, pulse, blood pressure, oxygen saturation
Basic physical examination by a clinician
CBC, urine test, blood sugar, or imaging only when clinically needed

Avoid these mistakes

Do not use antibiotics, steroid tablets/injections, or strong painkillers without proper medical advice.
Do not hide pregnancy, kidney disease, ulcer, allergy, or blood thinner use.
Do not delay emergency care when danger signs are present.

Medicine safety and first-aid guide

This section is for patient education only. It does not replace a doctor, pharmacist, or emergency care.

Safe first steps

Avoid heavy lifting, sudden bending, and prolonged bed rest.
Use comfortable posture and gentle movement as tolerated.
Discuss physiotherapy, X-ray, or MRI only when clinically needed.

OTC medicine safety

For mild back pain, pain-relief medicine may be discussed with a doctor or pharmacist.
Avoid repeated painkiller use if you have kidney disease, stomach ulcer, uncontrolled blood pressure, or are taking blood thinners.

Avoid these mistakes

Do not start antibiotics without a proper medical decision.
Do not use steroid tablets or injections casually for quick relief.
Do not delay emergency care because of home remedies.

Get urgent help if

Back pain with leg weakness, numbness around private area, loss of urine/stool control, fever, cancer history, or major injury needs urgent care.

Medicine names, dose, and timing must be decided by a qualified clinician or pharmacist after checking age, pregnancy, allergy, other diseases, and current medicines.

For rural patients and family caregivers

Patient health record and symptom diary

Write your symptoms, medicines already taken, test results, and questions before visiting a doctor. This note stays on your device unless you print or copy it.

Doctor to discuss: Medicine doctor / pediatrician for children / qualified clinician

Tests to discuss with doctor

Temperature chart and hydration assessment
CBC with platelet count if fever persists or dengue/other infection is possible
Urine test, malaria/dengue tests, chest evaluation, or blood culture only when clinically indicated

Questions to ask

What is the most likely cause of my symptoms?
Which warning signs mean I should go to emergency care?
Which tests are really needed now?
Which medicines are safe for my age, pregnancy status, allergy, kidney/liver/stomach condition, and current medicines?
Do I need antibiotics, or is this more likely viral?

Emergency warning signs such as chest pain, severe breathing difficulty, sudden weakness, confusion, severe dehydration, major injury, or loss of bladder/bowel control need urgent medical care. Do not wait for online information.

Go to emergency care if you notice:

Severe or rapidly worsening symptoms
Breathing difficulty, chest pain, fainting, confusion, severe weakness, major injury, or severe dehydration

Doctor / service to discuss: Qualified healthcare provider; specialist depends on symptoms and examination.

Step 1
Check danger signs first
If danger signs are present, seek emergency care and do not wait for online information.
Step 2
Record the symptom story
Write when symptoms started, severity, medicines already taken, allergies, pregnancy status, and test results.
Step 3
Visit a qualified clinician
A doctor, nurse, or qualified healthcare provider can examine you and decide which tests or treatment are needed.
Step 4
Do only useful tests
Do tests after clinical assessment. Avoid unnecessary tests, random antibiotics, or repeated medicines without diagnosis.
Step 5
Follow up and return early if worse
If symptoms worsen, new warning signs appear, or treatment is not helping, return for review quickly.

Rural patient practical tips

Take a written symptom diary and all previous prescriptions/test reports.
Do not hide medicines already taken, even herbal or over-the-counter medicines.
Ask which warning signs mean urgent referral to hospital.

This roadmap is for education. A real diagnosis and treatment plan requires history, examination, and clinical judgment.

RX Patient Help

Ask a health question safely

Write your symptom story. A health professional or site editor can review it before any answer is prepared. This box is not for emergency care.

Emergency first: Severe chest pain, breathing trouble, unconsciousness, stroke signs, severe injury, heavy bleeding, or rapidly worsening symptoms need urgent local medical care now.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this article a replacement for a doctor?

No. It is educational content only. Patients should consult a qualified clinician for diagnosis and treatment.

When should I seek urgent care?

Seek urgent care for severe symptoms, rapidly worsening condition, breathing difficulty, severe pain, neurological changes, or any emergency warning sign.