Nymphaea odorata ssp. tuberosa

Native

Water less than 7′ deep

July to September

White

Up to 7′

This is a floating, perennial aquatic that rises up to 7′ from a frequently branched, creeping rhizome and fibrous roots. The rhizome is often constricted at the branch nodes, forming detachable tubers. It often forms colonies.

The leaves are all alternate and rise directly from the rhizome on a long stalk (petiole). The petiole is stout and green with brownish-purple stripes. It is round in cross section, not flattened. The leaf floats on the surface of the water, though in the spring it is submersed. The petiole is attached to the center of the underside of the blade. The blade is thick, leathery, egg-shaped to almost circular, 4″ to 16″ long, and 4″ to 16″ wide. At the base of the blade there is a very narrow slit from the margin to the petiole. There are 6 to 27 principal veins radiating from the center to the margin. There is no central web of veins between the principal veins. The upper surface is hairless and green. The lower surface is hairless and green, sometimes faintly tinged with purple. The margins are untoothed and sometimes strongly wavy.

The inflorescence is a single flower floating on the water surface, at the end of a long stalk arising directly from the rhizome. The flower stalk resembles the leaf stalk.

The flowers are 2⅜″ to 6″ in diameter when open. There are 4 sepals that rest on the surface of the water. They are egg-shaped to egg lance-shaped, 1⅛″ to 3″ long, and ⅜″ to 1″ wide. The outer side, visible when the flower is closed, is green. The inner side, visible when the flower is open, is greenish-white. There are 17 to 43 white, rarely pink, petals. They are elliptic to inversely lance-shaped, ⅝″ to 1¼″ long, and ⅜″ to ⅞″ wide. The outermost petals have a broadly rounded tip and are arranged in a whorl of 4. The remaining petals are arranged in a spiral. There are 35 to 120 yellow stamens with yellow anthers. The filaments of the outer stamens are winged and are wider than the anthers. Those of the inner stamens are narrower than the anthers. The flower opens in the early morning and closes around noon. It lasts 3 or 4 days.

The fruit is gobe-shaped. It matures underwater.

Fragrant waterlily (Nymphaea odorata ssp. odorata) rhizomes are not constricted at the nodes. The petioles are uniformly green or reddish-purple, not striped. The lower leaf surface is dark reddish-purple, occasionally greenish.

American lotus (Nelumbo lutea) leaves and flowers stand up to 12″ above the water. The leaves are larger, up to 24″ in diameter, and are not split. The flowers are pale yellow and somewhat larger.