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Species Image Gallery (opens in a new window) |
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| THE WATERLILY FAMILY | |||||||||
| The waterlilies are aquatic herbs found in ponds, lakes, and slow-moving streams all the way from the tropics to the north temperate regions of the world. These plants usually have at least some floating leaves attached to the rhizomes by long stalks. The leaf blades are heart-shaped to round or elliptic with a solid margin. The flowers are solitary and are generally quite showy. This family has what are called “primitive angiosperm” characteristics. This means that on the evolutionary scale, the waterlilies are thought to be one of the older flowering plant families. Some of the primitive angiosperm characteristics include many, spirally arranged petals and laminar stamens. The term laminar means that the anther and the filament are not easy to tell apart. These stamens are usually flat and may be the same colour as the petals. | |||||||||
| AMERICAN WHITE WATERLILY | |||||||||
| LATIN NAME: Nymphaea odorata ssp. odorata | |||||||||
| WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? | |||||||||
| American white water lily is a fragrant aquatic plant. The leaves and flowers are attached by long stalks to a branched and creeping rhizome, which anchors the plant in the mud. The leaves are round in outline with a hear-shaped base. The leaves are green above and green to purple below. The flower opens in the morning and closes at dusk. The flowers have four greenish or pinkish sepals and 17 to 45 white petals. There are many stamens, which are widest below the middle. The fruit is berry-like. | |||||||||
| WHERE DOES IT GROW? | |||||||||
| American white waterlily grows in ponds, lakes, or slow-moving streams. | |||||||||
| WHERE IS IT FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN? | |||||||||
| This species is found in east-central Saskatchewan in the Mid-Boreal Lowland ecoregion. | |||||||||
| WHY IS IT RARE? | |||||||||
| American white waterlily is endangered in Saskatchewan because it is known from a single locality. This location represents a western expansion for this species in Canada. Only one record of this species exists in the W. P. Fraser Herbarium from Saskatchewan. It is likely that this species may face danger of extirpation in the province. | |||||||||
| HOW TO IDENTIFY AMERICAN WHITE WATERLILY | |||||||||
| * Is the plant living in the water? * Are the leaves floating and round in shape? * Are the fragrant flowers white with many stamens that are widest below the middle? * Did you find it in east-central Saskatchewan? | |||||||||
| If you answered yes to all of these questions, you may have found American white waterlily! | |||||||||
