[7][2] The type specimen was collected by Fischer in hot springs South of Nyakabuye, Rwanda on the 25th of April 1987.

[9][11] The specific epithet thermarum refers to the hot spring and temperature that provided its native habitat.

[15] The plant's native habitat was damp mud formed by the overflow of a freshwater hot spring in Mashyuza, southwest Rwanda.

[16] The farmers cut off the flow of the spring, which dried up the tiny area—just a few square metres—that was believed to be the entire habitat.

[12] Before the extinction of the first known population, Fischer sent some specimens to Bonn Botanic Gardens in Germany when he saw that their habitat was fragile.

[17] The first published occurrence of N. thermarum germination was by Carlos Magdalena, at the Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew.

[4] By placing the seeds and seedlings into pots of loam surrounded by water of the same level in a 25 °C (77 °F) environment, eight began to flourish and mature within weeks and in November 2009, the waterlilies flowered for the first time.

With the germination problem solved, Magdalena says that the tiny plants are easy to grow, giving it potential to be grown as a houseplant.