A new variety of waterlilies named "N. Neo-Impressionism" was registered at the International Waterlily and Water Gardening Society (IWGS) in April 2022.

It was bred by Lu Weihua, a sophomore student at Zhongkai University of Agricultural and Engineering (ZKUAE) in Haizhu district, Guangdong province.

To date, he has selected and bred more than 10 new varieties of lotuses and waterlilies, among which two of the new waterlily varieties have been registered at the IWGS.

The new variety of waterlily is named "N. Neo-Impressionism". [Photo/WeChat account: gzhzfb]

These pale yellow and white aquatic flowers, with a cluster of bright red at the base of the petals, are floating on the surface of the water. Their leaves will appear as different colors as the temperature changes, appearing like a Neo-Impressionism painting.

When he was young, Lu acted differently from other children. He did not like toys, but enjoyed botanical gardens. He used containers at home for planting. When he was in the sixth grade, he was able to recognize all the plants in the green belts and common native plants in Guangzhou.

His interest in aquatic plants lead to him trying to cross breed plants when he entered junior high school. He completed his first successful breeding in the second year of high school.

Lu's first bred waterlily is named "Lavender Mist" and is registered at the IWGS. [Photo/WeChat account: gzhzfb]

Lu credits his university, ZKUAE, for providing a friendly environment for him to develop his talent. As an application-oriented university featuring modern agricultural science, ZKUAE has stimulated his interest in related majors, with Lu choosing courses related to agriculture for almost all of his public elective courses.

Li Zijun, who won the World WaterLily Contest in 2016, also graduated from ZKUAE. The "Detective Erika", a new species of waterlily bred by him, has been introduced and planted in more than 20 countries. Lu said that he takes Li as a shining example and often asks him for advice.

"The other new varieties of waterlilies that I have selected are still under observation and will be announced in the future," he added. In the future, Lu plans to pursue graduate studies and cultivate more new varieties of waterlilies.