White Water-lily

Nymphaea odorata subsp. odorata

[+ ZOOM] White Water-lily © Michael Hogan

Always a welcome sight, the White Water-lily attracts us (and a wide variety of insects) with its perfumed scent, as well.This very common herbaceous plant can be found throughout the Pinelands, and is one of the most noticeable of all the aquatic plants, even when not flowering. The flat “lily pads” floating on the surface appear fresh and delicate when they first emerge. They provide food for a variety of creatures and finally disappear as winter comes along. But the plants are perennial, so those that live through the winter send new shoots to the surface each spring, and the seeds that germinate create new plants.

Duration: Perennial

Flower: early June to late September.

Habitat: ponds, cranberry reservoirs, streams.

Find Related Info: plants, herbaceous