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Yellow Pond Lily, Cowlily, Spatterdock - Nuphar lutea


Family: Nymphaeaceae - Water-lily family Genus Common Name: Pond-lily Native Status: NativeDicot Perennial Herb
Nuphar lutea - Yellow Pond Lily, Cowlily, Spatterdock. There seems to be some debate in the scientific community as to the appropriate names for Yellow Pond Lily. There are apparently 8 subspecies of this native plant, or maybe that's 8 separate species, depending on who you ask. I typically use the USDA classification, so for these purposes this is one of the subspecies of Nuphar lutea. One or more subspecies is found in every state in the United States except Hawaii, and in every Canadian province.

Yellow Pond Lily is an aquatic species which has a history of medical and food use.

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Nuphar lutea

Distribution of Nuphar lutea in the United States and Canada:
USDA Map temporarily unavailable.
Blue=Native; Grey=Introduced

Map from USDA Plants Database:
USDA, NRCS. 2017. The PLANTS Database (http://plants.usda.gov, 16 Jan 2025). National Plant Data Team, Greensboro, NC 27401-4901 USA.

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Site: BWCAW - Stuart River Date: 2002-August-02Photographer: Gerald C. Williamson
Sony
The yellow ball-shaped blossom is attached to a separate stem from the heart-shaped leaf, both attached to a large, submerged rhizome. The blossoms, usually held just above the water, never appear to be quite fully open.
Nuphar lutea
Site: BWCAW - Stuart River Date: 2002-August-02Photographer: Gerald C Williamson
Sony Cybershot
Yellow Pondlily can grow in massive colonies.
Click on the photo for a larger image
Nuphar lutea
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Nuphar lutea initially published on USWildflowers.com 2010-08-12; Updated 2015-06-24

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