Practical
Plants

Nymphaea odorata

Fragrant Water Lily

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

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Taxonomy and growth

Life cycle
perennial
Spread
1 m
Fertility
Self fertile, Flies, Self
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Flies, Self

Uses

Edible uses

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

Flower buds - cooked as a vegetable or pickled[15][2][4][5]. Young flowers - raw[15]. Leaves - raw or cooked[8]. Used in soups and stews[15][4][5]. Root[2][5]. Boiled or roasted[8]. Ripe seed - cooked or ground into a meal[8].

Plant part
Flowers
Plant part
Leaves
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 root is alterative, anodyne, antiseptic, astringent and demulcent[14][9][3][12]. A tea made from the roots is used in the treatment of TB, chronic bronchial complaints, diarrhoea, dysentery, gastrointestinal inflammation, gonorrhoea, vaginal discharge, inflamed glands, mouth sores and to stop bleeding[11][12]. A poultice made from the roots is used in the treatment of swellings, boils, tumours, inflamed skin, vaginitis etc[11][12]. The roots are harvested in the autumn once the plant has died down, and are dried for later use[12]. A complete cure of uterine cancer by a decoction and uterine injection has been recorded[14].

Product or use
Anodyne
Product or use
Antiseptic
Product or use
Astringent
Product or use
Cancer
Product or use
Demulcent
Product or use
TB

Environment

Range
N. America - Newfoundland to Kansas, Mexico and Cuba.
Habitat
Lakes, bog pools and slow rivers[6].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
aquatic
Hardiness
Zone 5+
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[7]. Division in May. Each portion must have at least one eye. Submerge in pots in shallow water until established[16].

Cultivation

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

A water plant requiring a rich soil and a sunny position in still or slowly flowing water that is at least 30cm deep[15][7][12]. An over-rich soil, or growing the plant in water that is too deep, inhibits flowering[12]. Prefers a pH between 6 and 7[7]. There are two basic types of plant in this genus (this species is a crawler):- 'crawlers' are species with horizontal roots that often spread freely, with new plants being formed at intervals along the root. These species are useful for naturalising, but they do not flower very freely in the cool summers of Britain[10]. 'clumpers' have vertical roots, they form slowly spreading clumps and produce offsets around the crown. These forms flower much more freely in Britain[10]. A very ornamental plant[1], the sweetly fragrant flowers are 12cm in diameter[11]. The flowers open in the morning, when they are at their most fragrant, and close in the afternoon[13].

References

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

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  2. Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  3. Mills. S. Y. The Dictionary of Modern Herbalism.

    ↩

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

    ↩1↩2

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

    ↩1↩2↩3

  6. Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Perennials Volumes 1 and 2. Pan Books 1991-00-00 ISBN 0-330-30936-9

    ↩

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

    ↩1↩2↩3

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

    ↩1↩2↩3

  9. Lust. J. The Herb Book. Bantam books 1983-00-00 ISBN 0-553-23827-2

    ↩

  10. Matthews. V. The New Plantsman. Volume 1, 1994. Royal Horticultural Society 1994-00-00 ISBN 1352-4186

    ↩1↩2

  11. Foster. S. & Duke. J. A. A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants. Eastern and Central N. America. Houghton Mifflin Co. 1990-00-00 ISBN 0395467225

    ↩1↩2↩3

  12. Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995-00-00 ISBN 0-7513-020-31

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6

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

    ↩

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

    ↩1↩2

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

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

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

    ↩

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