Yellow waterlily
Nuphar lutea

Family: Nymphaeaceae

What it is like

A herb. It grows in water. It keeps growing from year to year. The rhizomes or underground stems are stout and 3-8 cm across. The leaf stalk is about 50 cm long. The leaf blade floats but can also be above the water. It is oval and 15-30 cm long by 10-22 cm wide. It is leathery. It can be hairy underneath. The base is heart shaped and the lobes are spreading. The flowers are above the water level. They occur singly in the axils of leaves. The flowers are 4-5 cm across. There are 6 sepals with the outer ones being green and the inner yellow. The fruit stalk is about 50 cm long. The sepals are 2-3 cm long. The petals are narrow. They are small and many. The fruit are about 2.5 cm across. There are 5-20 united in a group. The seeds are olive green and 5 mm across.

There are about 10-25 Nuphar species.

Where it is found

It grows in temperate places. It grows in permanent water to about 1 m deep. It grows in lakes and ponds in Xinjiang in China. It suits hardiness zones 4-9.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Asia, Australia, Balkans, Bosnia, Britain, Central Asia, China, Europe, Finland, France, Hawaii, Kazakhstan, Luxembourg, North America, Pacific, Russia, Scandinavia, Siberia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, Türkiye, USA

How it is used for food

The flowers are used to make a drink. The roots and leaf-stalks are eaten. They are boiled. It is also the source of starch. Seed kernels are parched or roasted and eaten with salt. They can be ground into flour for bread. Caution: The rhizomes contain a mildly poisonous substance called nupharine that is destroyed on cooking.

Edible parts

Tubers, root, seeds, flowers, leaf stalks

How it is grown

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

Its other names

Local names

Lopoc, Odolen'koren', Ou ya ping peng cao, Rumeni blatnik, Wokas

Synonyms

Nymphaea lutea L.; Nuphar luteum Sibth. & Sm.;