NYMPHAEACEAE WATER LILY FAMILY 
YELLOW POND LILY. SPATTERDOCK 
Nuphar advena Ait. f. 
The Water Lily family is composed of water plants, 
most of which have floating leaves. The famous Victoria 
regia, which is a native of the Amazon river valley, has 
gigantic floating leaves almost strong enough 
to be used as rafts. Some species have very 
large and beautiful flow- 
ers and are frequently 
used as ornamental 
plants in artificial ponds. 
Probably no water plant 
is better known than the 
Yellow Pond Lily, for it is 
very common in ponds and 
slow-running streams from 
Labrador and Nova Scotia 
to the Rocky mountains, 
south to Florida, Texas and 
Utah. It is extremely vari- 
able, usually three or more 
forms being found in the same pond, 
and it is difficult to say at present 
whether or not we should place them all 
in one species. In some localities this plant is called Spatterdock, 
Cow Lily or Frog Lily. 
The stout cylindrical stem creeps upon the bottom of 
the pond or stream and the leaves grow from it. The float- 
ing leaves and those above water are 5-12 inches in greatest 
diameter, thick and with a deep sinus at the base, whereas those 
that are submerged, when present, are thin and nearly round. 
The lower surfaces of the leaves, as well as the petioles and flower 
stalks, are often hairy. 
The flowers are produced all summer and are yellow or 
purple tinged. The conspicuous floral parts are the sepals, 
usually 6. The petals are numerous but they are small, fleshy and 
stamenlike. The stamens, with anthers about as long as the 
filaments, are also numerous and are arranged in 5-7 rows. The 
pistils are many but united into a compound structure, and so 
form I fruit which is a sort of capsule. 
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