Practical
Plants

Nuphar advena

Common Spatterdock

a perennial member of the Nuphar genus in the family Nymphaeaceae.

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Taxonomy and growth

Genus
Nuphar
Life cycle
perennial
Spread
1.2 m
Fertility
Flies
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Flies

Uses

Edible uses

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

Root - raw or cooked[4][12][2][3]. The root can be soaked in water in order to remove a bitter taste[13]. After long boiling, it has a taste like sheep's liver[4]. The root can also be dried and ground into a powder then used as a thickener in soups, or can be added to cereal flours when making bread, cakes etc[13][6]. Seed - raw or cooked. It can be roasted, then ground into a powder and eaten raw[6] or used to thicken soups etc[4][12][13][3][6]. The seed can also be toasted like popcorn[8].

Plant part
Root
Plant part
Seed

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 fresh root is anodyne, astringent and demulcent[9]. The pulverized dried rhizomes have been used to arrest bleeding[6]. A tea made from the roots is used in the treatment of dysentery, diarrhoea etc[9]. A poultice made from the roots is used in the treatment of swellings, boils, tumours, inflamed skin etc[9][8].

Product or use
Anodyne
Product or use
Astringent
Product or use
Demulcent
Product or use
Poultice
Product or use
Styptic

Environment

Range
Eastern N. America - Labrador and Nova Scotia, south to Florida, Texas and Utah.
Habitat
Tidal waters, pond margins and swamps[10].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
light shade
Water
aquatic
Hardiness
Zone 3+
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 - sow as soon as it is ripe in a greenhouse in pots submerged under 25mm of water. Prick out into individual pots as soon as the first true leaf appears and grow them on in water in a greenhouse for at least two years before planting them out in late spring. The seed is collected by wrapping the developing seed head in a muslin bag to avoid the seed being lost. Harvest it 10 days after it sinks below the soil surface or as soon as it reappears[5]. Division in May. Each portion must have at least one eye. Submerge in pots in shallow water until established[11].

Cultivation

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

A water plant requiring a rich soil and a sunny position. It is best if grown in still water that is up to 60cm deep but it also tolerates slow moving water[5]. Succeeds in light shade[5]. A very ornamental plant[1].

References

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

    ↩

  2. Yanovsky. E. Food Plants of the N. American Indians. Publication no. 237. U.S. Depf of Agriculture.

    ↩

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

    ↩1↩2

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

    ↩1↩2↩3

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

    ↩1↩2↩3

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

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  7. 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

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

    ↩1↩2

  9. Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984-00-00 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9

    ↩1↩2↩3

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

    ↩

  11. Muhlberg. H. Complete Guide to Water Plants. E. P. Publishing Ltd. 1982-00-00 ISBN 0-7158-0789-7

    ↩

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

    ↩1↩2

  13. Harrington. H. D. Edible Native Plants of the Rocky Mountains. University of New Mexico Press 1967-00-00 ISBN 0-8623-0343-9

    ↩1↩2↩3

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