Practical
Plants

Nelumbo lutea

American Water Lotus

a perennial member of the Nelumbo genus in the family Nelumbonaceae.

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Taxonomy and growth

Genus
Nelumbo
Life cycle
perennial
Height
1.8 m
Spread
1 m
Flower type
hermaphrodite

Uses

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Root - cooked[1][15][16][17][4]. It is usually steeped in water prior to cooking in order to remove any bitterness[8]. The root is rich in starch[5], when baked it becomes sweet and mealy[19][2], somewhat like a sweet potato[6]. The root is usually harvested in the autumn and will store for several months[14]. Leaves and young stems - cooked[18][19][2][6]. Seed - raw or cooked[15][16][17][19][2]. A very agreeable taste[8][4]. The seed can be dried, ground into a powder and used for making bread, thickening soups etc or can be eaten dry[18][6]. The bitter tasting embryo is often removed. The half-ripe seed is said to be delicious raw or cooked, with a taste like chestnuts[6]. The seed contains up to 19% protein[11]. An edible oil can be extracted from the seed[10].

Product or use
Oil
Plant part
Root
Plant part
Seed
Plant part
Stem

Medicinal uses

Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

The root is pounded into a pulp, either fresh or dried, and used as a poultice for many inflammatory diseases[10].

Product or use
Poultice

Environment

Range
Eastern N. America - Massachusetts to Minnesota, Nebraska and Louisiana.
Habitat
Ponds, slow streams and estuaries[15]. This species is almost extinct in the wild[11].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
aquatic
Hardiness
Zone 4+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - file the seed across its centre, being very careful not to damage the flesh of the seed, and soak in warm water, changing the water twice a day until signs of germination are seen, which should be within 3 - 4 weeks at 25°c. Plant in individual pots just covered in water and increase the depth as the plant grows. Division in spring as the plant comes into growth. Be very careful, the plants deeply resent root disturbance[9].

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Requires a rich loam[1] and a sunny position[7]. Succeeds in most soils[1]. Succeeds in water up to 0.6m deep[7]. Plants are half-hardy[7]. They should be hardy in the mild areas of Britain[1]. Grown as a food plant by the N. American Indians[1], it has been proposed for commercial cultivation[3]. The flowers are fragrant[13].

References

  1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5

  2. Turner. N. J. and Szczawinski. A. Edible Wild Fruits and Nuts of Canada. National Museum of Natural Sciences 1978-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3

  3. Coon. N. The Dictionary of Useful Plants. Rodale Press 1975-00-00 ISBN 0-87857-090-x

    ↩

  4. McPherson. A. and S. Wild Food Plants of Indiana. Indiana University Press 1977-00-00 ISBN 0-253-28925-4

    ↩1↩2

  5. Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984-00-00 ISBN 3874292169

    ↩

  6. Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  7. Brickell. C. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd. 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-86318-386-7

    ↩1↩2↩3

  8. Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972-00-00 ISBN 0-486-20459-6

    ↩1↩2

  9. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩

  10. Coffey. T. The History and Folklore of North American Wild Flowers. Facts on File. 1993-00-00 ISBN 0-8160-2624-6

    ↩1↩2

  11. Weiner. M. A. Earth Medicine, Earth Food. Ballantine Books 1980-00-00 ISBN 0-449-90589-6

    ↩1↩2

  12. Britton. N. L. Brown. A. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada Dover Publications. New York. 1970-00-00 ISBN 0-486-22642-5

  13. Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale. London. 1994-00-00 ISBN 0-7090-5440-8

    ↩

  14. Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998-00-00 ISBN 0-88192-453-9

    ↩

  15. Fernald. M. L. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co. 1950-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3

  16. Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  17. Harris. B. C. Eat the Weeds. Pivot Health 1973-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  18. Elias. T. and Dykeman. P. A Field Guide to N. American Edible Wild Plants. Van Nostrand Reinhold 1982-00-00 ISBN 0442222009

    ↩1↩2

  19. Saunders. C. F. Edible and Useful Wild Plants of the United States and Canada. Dover Publications 1976-00-00 ISBN 0-486-23310-3

    ↩1↩2↩3

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