American Water Lotus (Nelumbo lutea)

The American water lotus is Minnesota’s largest and showiest aquatic plant.

Terminology. “Lotus” symbolizes awakening, strength, and enlightenment as these water plants emerge each year from muddy river and lake bottoms. The American water lotus is native to the western hemisphere, while the sacred water lotus occurs in Asia.

Appearance. American water lotus forms blue-green, saucer-shaped leaves that can reach two feet in diameter. Lotus leaves lack a notch, unlike those of waterlilies. A single stem is attached at the leaf center and connects to a submerged rhizome. Leaves float on the water surface or emerge above the water, resembling inverted umbrellas. Their water-repellent coating has been described as “superhydrophobic,” causing water to bead and roll off the leaf. Of all Minnesota’s flowering plants, the water lotus forms the largest bloom, with a diameter of up to 10 inches. Single flowers are held on stalks up to three feet above the water. Large, pale-yellow petals are arranged in a spiral around a yellow-orange seed-bearing structure that resembles a showerhead.

Range and Distribution. The range of American water lotus extends from Central America northward through the eastern half of North America, with disjunct populations scattered in the western United States. Historically, the species was likely restricted to major river floodplains and possibly carried northward and eastward by Indigenous peoples. In Minnesota, water lotus is found in the southeast, occurring in backwaters of the Mississippi and Minnesota rivers and in several lakes in the Twin Cities area.

Habitat. This species is adapted to quiet areas of ponds and lakes and slow-moving waters of rivers. It grows in muddy substrates in water depths up to six feet.

Natural History. Water lotus is a perennial aquatic plant that overwinters in the form of a hardy, submerged rhizome. Leaves emerge by late June and flowers bloom from July to September. Flowers are thermogenic, creating heat, and thermoregulatory, maintaining their temperature as air temperatures change. This may help attract pollinators. By late summer, flowers wither and seeds ripen, sinking to the lake or river bottom, where they may lie dormant for years. Water currents and waterfowl can help disperse rhizome fragments and seeds.

Human Uses. The lotus’s waterproof leaves inspired scientists to develop coatings like Gore-Tex. The stems, rhizomes, and seeds are edible and nutritious.

Status. American water lotus may not be collected without a special permit.