American white waterlily
Nymphaea odorata
Nymphaeaceae


Landscape Uses:

Water gardens and along pond and lake edges.

Ecological Restoration Notes:

Availability:
Native plant nurseries.
Description:
Floating aquatic wildflower.
Height:
N/A; floating aquatic.
Growth Rate:
Moderate.
Range:
Widespread in North America south to Miami-Dade and Collier counties; West Indies and Central America. Not documented on barrier islands in South Florida, but possibly historically present; it grows well at Pan’s Garden in Palm Beach.
Habitats:
Sloughs, marshes and swamps.
Soils:
Wet, poorly-drained organic soils.
Nutritional Requirements:
High; requires rich organic soils for optimal growth.
Salt Water Tolerance:
Low; does not tolerate flooding by salt or brackish water.
Salt Wind Tolerance:
Low; salt wind may burn the leaves.
Drought Tolerance:
Low; requires moist to wet soils and is intolerant of long periods of drought.
Light Requirements:
Full sun to light shade.
Flower Color:
White.
Flower Characteristics:
Showy. Fragrant.
Flowering Season:
All year.
Fruit:
Fruit berrylike.
Wildlife and Ecology:
Horticultural Notes:
Roots in 1-6 foot deep water.
Comments:
See also the Florida Wildflower Foundation's Flower Friday page.


Keith A. Bradley
Roger L. Hammer
Susan Trammell
Shirley Denton
Shirley Denton
Shirley Denton
Susan Lerner, cultivated at Pan's Garden, Town of Palm Beach, Florida, USA.
Susan Lerner, cultivated at Pan's Garden, Town of Palm Beach, Florida, USA.