The water lily is distributed across watery regions of all continents. In mainland China, various types, including blue and white, occur from Hebei south to Hainan Island. In Taiwan, two types of indigenous wild water lilies were recorded during the Japanese occupation period.
但睡蓮分佈地球各大洲，中國大陸北自河北、南至海南島，也有藍、白色各種睡蓮，台灣在日據時代也曾記錄過兩種野生睡蓮。