The Oldest Flowers
Water lilies and magnolias belong to some of the oldest branches of the flowering-plant family tree. Their big, simple flowers have many petals and stamens, and many are pollinated by beetles, which were visiting flowers long before bees were common.
Yellow Water Lily
कमल
Nymphaea sp.
Its leaves float on air spaces inside them, and their breathing pores are on top of the leaf instead of underneath, since the underside touches the water.
Purple Water Lily
कमल
Nymphaea sp.
A water lily with purple flowers that rise just above the water. Its round leaves float on air spaces inside them, and each flower opens by day and closes at night for a few days.
Lily Magnolia
चम्पा फूल
Magnolia liliiflora
Its purple, lily-shaped flowers open on bare branches in spring. Magnolia flowers are tough, built to be walked over and chewed by the beetles that pollinate them.
Saucer Magnolia
Magnolia × soulangeana
A cross between two Chinese magnolias, made in France about 200 years ago, with big pink-and-white cups that bloom before the leaves appear.
Southern Magnolia
रुख कमल
Magnolia grandiflora
An evergreen from the southeastern United States with plate-sized, lemon-scented white flowers. Its cone-like seed pods split to show bright red seeds that birds eat.
White Champa
सेतो चाँप
Magnolia × alba
A magnolia whose slender white flowers are among the most fragrant in Asia, strung into garlands and used in perfume.
Golden Champa
चाँप फूल
Magnolia champaca
A magnolia whose golden-orange flowers have one of the richest scents in the garden, used in perfume and temple offerings. Like other magnolias, it is pollinated by beetles, an ancient partnership.
More in The Plant Family Tree
The garden is alive and changes through the year. Some plants flower, fruit, or rest only in certain seasons, so what you see depends on when you visit.
See them for yourself
Every plant here grows on our campus in Bhaktapur. Walk the garden on your visit.
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