Yellow Waterlily
Yellow waterlily (Nuphar polysepala) is an aquatic perennial found in shallow bays in lakes and ponds.
- Waterlilies have thick fleshy rhizomes anchored in the mud.
- Stems are also thick and fleshy.
- Most leaves are roundish or heart-shaped and float on the water.
- Leaves are a shiny green, leathery and have a waxy coating, which allows the stomata to “breathe.”
- The yellow flowers are floating and cup-shaped with 9 (+/-) yellowish sepals. Some green or even red shades can be spotted in different phases of development.
- The true petals are somewhat hidden among the stamens. The center of the flower will have a large knob-like stigma.
- All photos by the author. Click an image for a lightbox view.
- Capsules form after flowering. Oval shaped capsules rupture and disperse jelly-like masses of seeds in late summer and into early fall.
- Fish and other underwater creatures use the leaves as cover from predators and from the sun on hot days. Waterlilies slow algae growth in lakes, along with other aquatic plants like smartweed.
- First Nations people used the rhizomes and seeds as a food source.
- Other names include western yellow pond-lily, spatterdock, or great yellow pond-lily.
- There are several waterlily subspecies in BC, each with minor differences in the stamens and seeds.
- We most often encounter yellow waterlily when we are paddling the lakes of our area. A few leaves show, then a while later in the season, bays fill up with floating leaves and a few flowers. Waterlily leaves are mottled by aphids, midges, water beetles, and moth larvae in the summer. In many lakes, I noted that all of the flower heads in some bays have been eaten by a moose, wading out into the muddy shallows and swimming to deeper water.
- Waterlilies can grow from seed or from the growth of rhizomes.
- There are some area lakes (Dutch Lake, White Lake) that feature other waterlilies, like American white waterlily.
- We enjoy spotting the first waterlily leaves of the season floating on the water in late spring.