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Rocky Mountain cowlily, Rocky Mountain pond-lily, spatterdock, wakas, yellow pond-lily

Rhizomes

3-8 cm diam.

2-2.5 cm diam.

Leaves

blade abaxially and adaxially green, widely ovate, 10-40(-45) × 7-30 cm, ca. 1.2-1.5 times as long as wide, sinus 1/3-2/3 length of midrib, lobes divergent to overlapping;

surfaces glabrous.

blade abaxially and adaxially green, linear to lanceolate, 15-30(-50) × 5-10(-11.5) cm, 3-5 times as long as wide, sinus less than 1/3 length of midrib, lobes usually divergent and forming V-shaped angle;

surfaces glabrous.

Flowers

5-10 cm diam.;

sepals mostly (6-)9(-12), abaxially green to adaxially yellow, sometimes red-tinged toward base;

petals oblong, thick;

anthers 3.5-9 mm, slightly shorter than filaments.

2-3 cm diam.;

sepals 6, abaxially green to adaxially yellow toward base;

petals oblong, thick;

anthers 3-5 mm, barely or not at all longer than filaments.

Fruit

green to yellow, cylindric to ovoid, 4-6(-9) × 3.5-6 cm, strongly ribbed, slightly constricted below stigmatic disk;

stigmatic disk green, 20-35 mm diam., entire to crenate;

stigmatic rays 8-26(-36), linear to lanceolate, terminating within 1(-1.5) mm from margin of disk.

green, ovoid, 3-3.5 × 2-3 cm, smooth basally, strongly ribbed toward apex, slightly constricted below stigmatic disk;

stigmatic disk green, 14-18 mm diam., nearly entire;

stigmatic rays 10-14, linear, mostly terminating 1-2 mm from margin of disk.

Seeds

3.5-5 mm.

4-5 mm.

2n

= 34.

Nuphar polysepala

Nuphar sagittifolia

Phenology Flowering spring (later in north)-summer. Flowering mid spring–early fall.
Habitat Ponds, lakes, and sluggish streams Freshwater streams, rivers, ponds, and lakes of coastal plain, extending to freshwater tidal areas
Elevation 0-3700 m (0-12100 ft) 0-50 m (0-200 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AK; AZ; CA; CO; ID; MT; NM; NV; OR; UT; WA; WY; BC; NT; YT
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
NC; SC; VA
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Plants intermediate between Nuphar polysepala and N. variegata occur in eastern British Columbia.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Of conservation concern.

Nuphar sagittifolia is probably best treated as a subspecies. Plants intermediate between it and N. advena are treated under N. advena. The clinal variation pattern between the two taxa is apparently maintained via selection by vernalization (C. E. DePoe and E. O. Beal 1969; E. O. Beal and R. M. Southall 1977).

This taxon is the Cape Fear spatterdock of the aquarium trade.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 3. FNA vol. 3.
Parent taxa Nymphaeaceae > Nuphar Nymphaeaceae > Nuphar
Sibling taxa
N. advena, N. microphylla, N. orbiculata, N. rubrodisca, N. sagittifolia, N. ulvacea, N. variegata
N. advena, N. microphylla, N. orbiculata, N. polysepala, N. rubrodisca, N. ulvacea, N. variegata
Synonyms N. lutea subsp. polysepala, Nymphaea polysepala Nymphaea sagittifolia, N. lutea subsp. sagittifolia
Name authority Engelmann: Trans. Acad. Sci. St. Louis 2: 282. 1865 (as polysepalum) (Walter) Pursh: Fl. Amer. Sept. 2: 370. 1814 (as sagittaefolia)
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