General Pershing - Water Lily

General Pershing. Some gardeners insist that this is the finest hybrid water lily produced. It was produced by famous hybridizer George Pring of the Missouri Botanical Garden and introduced by William Tricker, Inc. in 1920. It was awarded a silver medal by the Society of American Florists in 1923. It parentage includes the hybrid 'Mrs. Edwards Whitaker', from whom it received its large size, and 'Castalifora' for its color. Flowers are large and deep pink with a rich scent. The aromatic flowers are held as much as a foot above the water and have sepals light pink inside and yellow stamens tipped rose. Dark green buds are stripped with purple. Large dark green leaves are tinged with purple and are spotted red underneath. The plants develop considerable size but adapt well to small pools.