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American White Water Lily

Nymphaea odorata

White Water Lily Locations in North America
White Water Lily Locations in Southeast US
white water lily drawing

water lily covering water in an area

close up white water lily

What is American White Water Lily?

Physical Characteristics

Leaves:

  • Up to 9.84 inches long
  • Green on top
  • Slightly green with red or purplish-red on bottom

Flowers:

  • Very smelly
  • Sepals often purplish on back
  • Elliptical or egg-shaped or sword-shaped
  • Up to 3.16 inches long
  • 1 inch wide
  • Usually more than 25 petals
  • White petals

Fruit:

  • Globe shaped
  • 1-1.19 inches in diameter

Seeds:

  • 3-D ellipse shape
  • About 0.08 inches long

Stem:

  • Rhizome stout
  • Mostly 1-1.19 inches thick

Where Does it Grow?

White water lily can be found in ponds, lakes, slow streams and ditches.

Pros and Cons of American White Water Lilies

Deer, beaver, muskrat, nutria and other rodents will consume the leaves and rhizomes of white water lily; while the seeds are eaten by ducks. Submerged portions of all aquatic plants provide habitats for many micro and macro invertebrates. These invertebrates in turn are used as food by fish and other wildlife species (e.g. amphibians, reptiles, ducks, etc). After aquatic plants die, their decomposition by bacteria and fungi provides food (called “detritus”) for many aquatic invertebrates.

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Photo Credits: The majority of the aquatic plant line drawings are the copyright of the University of Florida Center for Aquatic Plants (Gainsville). They are used with permission.

Aquatic plant photographs were provided by David Bayne, Jim Davis, Kelly Duffie, Billy Higginbotham, Michael Masser, John Clayton, Chetta Owens, Diane Smith, Joe Snow, Don Steinbach, Bridget Robinson Lassiter and Peter Woods.

You may use these photos, so long as you give credit to AquaPlant.

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