Nymphaea Ampla or White Lotus is sometimes called Dotleaf water lily. They are found Texas, Mexico, West Indies, and Central and South America. The large, elegant fragrant white flowers are held well above the water at the tip of a sturdy green stalk and appear almost constantly from spring until the end of summer. They are bisexual, star-like and regular with 4 sepals, green on the outside with many white petals. This is one of the most generously blooming water lilies, and frequently has as many as a half a dozen flowers open on a single day. The thick rhizomes are un-branched, erect, and ovoid without stolons. The leaf blades are green with smooth purple edges, often spotted and the bottom leaves are reddish. They are ovate to nearly round, about 15-45 cm in diameter, with dentate margins and a radiated venation centrally prominent, without web-like pattern, and a glabrous surface. The flowers are emersed, 7-18 cm in diameter, opening and closing diurnally, with only the sepals and outermost petals in a distinct whorl of 4. The sepals are green, flecked with short dark streaks and faintly veined. There are between 12-21 pointy white petals per flower, with 50-190 yellow stamens positioned around a 3 mm central yellow disk. The seeds are nearly globose to ellipsoid, with longitudinal rows of hair-like papillae. The Nymphaea Ampla blooms all year round in hot climate. Hardiness zones: 4-11(-32c/-25f, 4c/40f) All lotus are good for any geographic area as long as it is planted and started in warm water. They will not start to develop until the water reaches 70 degrees. Keep in mind once they start to get going, they are very invasive and the roots will branch out all over if not contained in a large pot. Don't bury them directly in your pond gravel or bottom. Starting the plant inside may get you blooms this year. But, more often than not a Lotus is a next-year type of plant for blooms. WINTER CARE OF LOTUS: The pot only needs to be about 12" under the water. Don't cut all the dead stems off as they provide oxygen to the root system. This is all that you need to do. The white lotus can be found in ditches, canals, ponds, and freshwater tidal margins, at an altitude of 0-350 m.