Yellow Pond Lily, also
called Spatterdock, is a native water lily which grows in
lakes, ponds, and slow-moving rivers. It is a
perennial,
which means it dies back in the winter, but grows again from
the roots
each Spring.
Yellow Pond Lily has
thick leaves,
which can be round or heart-shaped. They are large, growing
up to 12 inches wide. The leaves are attached to a long
stalk
which extends down into the water and into the mud below.
When the water level drops (especially in rivers, streams,
or marshes affected by tides), the leaves will be above the
water. When the water level rises again, the leaves will
float on the water.
The flowers of this plant
are yellow, with thick petals. Fruit are shaped like
pods
and contain many seeds.
J.E. and Bonnie McClellan,
California Academy of Sciences
The stalks of Yellow Pond
Lily are attached to a type of underground stem with roots,
called a rhizome.
Rhizomes are buried deep in the mud underwater. Rhizomes can
multiply and grow new rhizomes. This allows Yellow Pond
Lilies to grow quickly and form huge colonies.
The stalks connecting
leaves and flowers to rhizomes can grow six feet
long.
In the Fall, leaves and
flowers turn brown quickly and die. The rhizome lives on in
the mud.
Yellow Pond Lilies
provides great cover
for wildlife, especially fish, aquatic
insects, snakes, turtles, frogs, crayfish, salamanders, and
other water creatures.
Beaver and Common
Muskrats eat the rhizomes, and Beaver also eat the
leaves.
Waterfowl, such as Wood
Ducks, Mallards, and Canada Geese eat the seeds of Yellow
Pond Lily.
Frogs, salamanders, and
aquatic insects also use leaves and stems to attach egg
masses.
Leaves, or lily pads,
provide resting places for terrestrial
(land) insects, such as dragonflies and bees.
Yellow Pond Lilies
are often grown in ornamental ponds in gardens. Their leaves and
flowers are considered beautiful by many people. They are also good
wildlife attractors, since they provide shelter
for many species, and are a food source for birds. The rhizomes of
Yellow Pond Lilies can be eaten, and the seeds can be popped like
popcorn.
