The small-flowered water lily, Nymphaea micrantha, is distributed in West-African waters, stagnant and in full sun, from Senegal to Cameroun. It is often found deeply rooted in the sludge on the ground.

The spotted form is best-known asaquarium plant. Dennerle is said to have imported it in late 1995 from Western Africa. The submersed leaves of this plant grow to a diameter of around 7 to 11 cm and have a stunning pattern of reddish-brown and dark brown spots on light green ground.

The most striking characteristic in Nymphaea micrantha is the formation of an adventitious plant on the basis of the leaf blade (at the onset of the stem). This makes this water lily an easy plant to propagate, but still, it is only rarely found in the hobby.