Waterlily, Wakwak
Nymphaea macrosperma

Family: Nymphaeaceae

What it is like

A plant which grows in water in swamps. This herb keeps growing from year to year. The rhizome or underground stem is round. The leaves are 55 cm across. The leaves are almost round but with a split towards the centre. The edges of this overlap. The leaf lays near the water surface. There are evenly spaced teeth around the edge of the leaf. The flower is on a stalk above the water. The flower is 15 cm across and occurs singly. It is 30 cm above the water. The flowers have a sweet smell. The flowers open during the day and close at night. There are 4 sepals and 22 petals. The sepals are 6.5 cm long and green with purple stripes. The petals are white, blue or pink. The fruit is a berry 4 cm across. It is round.

There are about 50 Nymphaea species.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It grows in water up to 3 m deep. It grows in the tropics and subtropics.

Countries/locations it is found in

Australia (country/location of origin), Pacific, Papua New Guinea

How it is used for food

The seed are eaten after extracting from the fruit. Some parts of the young flower buds are eaten raw. The flower stem is eaten raw after peeling off the skin. The tuber is roasted then peeled and eaten.

Edible parts

Seeds, flower buds, stem, tuber, root, fruit capsule

How it is grown

Plants can be grown from seed or by dividing the rhizome.

Its other names

Local names

Kanyngurininy, Rarrang, Tubulijapm

Synonyms

Nymphaea dictophlebia Merr. & Perry;