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NC Native Plant Society:
Plant Details

Nelumbo lutea

American Lotus, Yellow Lotus, American Lotus-lily, Yonkapin, Yockernut, Water-chinquapin, Pond-nut

Scientific Name:

Nelumbo lutea

Genus:

Nelumbo

Species Epithet:

lutea

Common Name:

American Lotus, Yellow Lotus, American Lotus-lily, Yonkapin, Yockernut, Water-chinquapin, Pond-nut

Plant Type

Herb/Wildflower

Life Cycle

Perennial

Plant Family

Nelumbonaceae (Lotus-Lily Family)

Native/Alien:

NC Native

Bloom Color(s):

White, Yellow

Light:

Sun - 6 or more hours of sun per day

Soil Moisture:

Aquatic

Bloom Time:

June, July, August, September

Growing Area:

Piedmont, Coastal Plain

Habitat Description:

Ponds, natural lakes, sluggish streams, freshwater tidal marshes (Weakley 2015). Rare in NC Piedmont, uncommon in the Coastal Plain.

Leaf Retention:

Deciduous

Leaf Type:

Leaves veined, not needle-like or scale-like

Leaf Form:

Simple

Life Cycle:

Perennial

Wildlife Value:

Has some wildlife value

Landscape Value:

Recommended and Available

State Rank:

S2: Imperiled (*Key)

Global Rank:

G4 - Apparently Secure (*Key)

State Status:

W7: Watch List: Poorly Known in NC (*Key)

In bloom

image

Bruce Smithson, Brunswick Co, August 31, 2013

Flower with leaf

Note its large, peltate leaf in the background.

image

Bruce Smithson, Brunswick Co, August 31, 2013

Leaves

The leaves are circular with a stem in the center. Submerged, they lie flat on the water but when emergent, they are conical in shape.

image

Bruce Smithson

American Lotus leaves with White Waterlilies

The lotus leaves (foreground) have an undivided margin while the waterliles (Nymphaea odorata) behind them have a cleft in the margin of the leaf.

image

Bruce Smithson

Seedpod

image

Bruce Smithson

Links:

USDA PLANTS Database Record



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