Fragrant Waterlily
Nymphaea odorata
Washington State Classification
Class C — Widespread, County-Selected Control
Unmanaged fragrant water lily can form dense stands in water that can cover hundreds of acres and can persist until senescence in the fall.
Quick Reference
Identification
Growth Habit
It is an aquatic, bottom-rooted perennial. It has long, branched stolons extending up to 3.25 feet or more and lie just beneath the water’s surface. The nodes on the stolons typically produce a plant and many thread-like roots.
Leaves
Leaf blades are rounded to nearly circular with a slit in one side, have smooth margins, are green above and usually reddish or purplish or sometimes green below. Leaf stalks (petioles) are green or purplish and slender, sometimes faintly striped.
Flowers
Flowers are fragrant, floating and solitary, 2.4 to 7.5 inches in diameter, are on long stems and open in the morning and close in the evening. They have 17 to 43 white, though sometimes pink, petals and 4 sepals. Stamens number 35 to 120 and are yellow.
Fruit & Seeds
It forms leathery, berry-like capsules that contain many small seeds.
Impact
Unmanaged fragrant water lily can form dense stands in water that can cover hundreds of acres and can persist until senescence in the fall. It can restrict lake-front access, eliminate swimming opportunities, and outcompete native aquatic vegetation.
Ecology & Spread
Habitat
It grows rooted in mucky or silty sediments in water up to six to seven feet deep. It prefers quiet waters such as ponds, lake margins, and slow streams and will grow in acid or alkaline waters. Please click here to see a county level distribution map of fragrant water lily in Washington.
Spread Mechanisms
Reproduction
The fragrant water lily reproduces through both seeds and spreading rhizomes.
"
Control Methods
Mechanical
- Continually removing all leaves as they emerge may kill plants after a few seasons. Cut plant material must be removed from waterways. Cutting must be done several times per year.
Biological Control
- .