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White Waterlily

Nymphaea odorata

Other common name(s):

American White Water-lily, Fragrant White Water-lily, Fragrant Water-lily, Sweet-scented White Water-lily, Sweet-scented Water-lily, Beaver Root

Family:

Nymphaeaceae (Water Lily Family)

Plant Ecoregion Distribution Map

East Central Texas Plains, Gulf Coast Prairies and Marshes, Texas Blackland Prairies, Western Gulf Coastal Plain
Bastrop Lost Pines, Floodplains and Low Terraces2, Northern Post Oak Savanna, Northern Prairie Outliers, San Antonio Prairie, Southern Post Oak Savanna
Mid-Coast Barrier Islands and Coastal Marshes, Northern Humid Gulf Coastal Prairies, Texas-Louisiana Coastal Marshes
Northern Blackland Prairie, Southern Blackland Prairie
Flatwoods, Floodplains and Low Terraces3, Pleistocene Fluvial Terraces, Red River Bottomlands, Southern Tertiary Uplands, Tertiary Uplands

Plant Characteristics

Growth Form

Wetland

Height

1
to
1
ft.

Spread

1
to
1
ft.

Leaf Retention

Deciduous

Lifespan

Perennial

Habitat and Care Requirements

Soil Type(s)

Sand, Loam, Clay, Poor Drainage, Moist, Mud

Light Requirement

Sun, Part Shade, Shade

Water Requirement

High

Native Habitat

Wetland or Riparian

Bloom and Attraction

Bloom Color

White, Pink

Bloom Season

Spring, Summer, Fall

Seasonal Interest

Seeds, Forage

Wildlife Benefit

Birds, Small Mammals

Maintenance

One of the fatest growing water lilles. Leaves and flowers float on the surface of the water. Found in ponds, lakes, slow streams, and ditches in southeast Texas. Set up a pond or a water collection tank near a downspout to supplement water. Propagation: Root Division, Seed.

Comments

Blooms March-October. One of the most common white water lilies, Flowers and leaves float on the water. It usually flowers only from early morning until noon. The fragrant, white flowers of this rhizomatous, aquatic perennial are 3-6 in. across when open, but they close at night or on very cloudy days. Attracts, birds and waterfowl eat seeds and other parts of the plant.

References

1) https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=NYOD; 2) https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=18384#null; 3) http://bonap.net/TDC/Image/Map?taxonType=Species&taxonId=15455&locationType=County&mapType=Normal

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Contact a local Chapter

State Office Phone: 830.997.9272

State Office Address:
Native Plant Society of Texas
PO Box 3017
Fredericksburg, TX 78624

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