Lotus lily, American lotus, Golden lotus, Water Chinquapin, Yellow Nelumbo, Pondnuts, Wonkapin, Yanquapin
Nelumbo lutea

Family: Nelumbonaceae

What it is like

A lotus or waterlily like plant which keeps growing from year to year. It has underground stems or rhizomes. Some are thin but the ones underground are thick storage organs. These have air canals along them. The rhizomes can be several metres long. The leaves can float or be above the water level. Thye leaf stalk joins in the centre of the leaf. The leaves are 40-80 cm across. The leaf stalk is spiny and up to 2 m long. The flowers have both sexes. They occur singly in the axils of leaves. The fruit is made up of 10-20 units joined in a cone shaped receptacle. Young leaves float but are later held above the water.

There are 2 Nelumbo species. There is only one genus in the Nelumbonaceae.

Where it is found

It is a temperate plant. It grows in lakes, ponds, slow-moving streams and in tidal waters. It grows in water up to 1 m deep. It flowers at a lower temperature than Nelumbo nucifera. It suits hardiness zones 4-9.

Countries/locations it is found in

Australia, North America, Slovenia, USA

How it is used for food

The leaves and young stalks can be eaten. The immature seeds can be eaten raw. The mature seeds need to have the hard shell cracked and are then boiled, baked or ground into flour to use in soups. The starchy rhizome or tubers can be baked or boiled. The root tubers are peeled and boiled and eaten. The end shoots are stored and later eaten.

The seeds are especially eaten by children.

Edible parts

Root, seeds, stem, leaves

How it is grown

It can be grown from root runners.

Its other names

Local names

Ayacastle, Malacate, Pulul, Rumeni lotos

Synonyms

Nelumbo luteum Willd.; and others