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

Rhizomes

3-8 cm diam.

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, lanceolate to ovate, 15-25 × 8-10 cm, ca. 2.5 times as long as wide, sinus less than 1/3 length of midrib, lobes often overlapping;

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 6-9, abaxially green to adaxially yellow toward base;

petals oblong, thick;

anthers 2-5 mm, slightly 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, nearly globose, 1.5-2.5 × 1.5-2.5 cm, strongly ribbed, slightly constricted below stigmatic disk;

stigmatic disk green, 11-18 mm diam., undulate;

stigmatic rays 9-16, ± elliptic, terminating within 1 mm from margin of disk.

Seeds

3.5-5 mm.

3.5-4 mm.

2n

= 34.

Nuphar polysepala

Nuphar ulvacea

Phenology Flowering spring (later in north)-summer. Flowering spring–early fall.
Habitat Ponds, lakes, and sluggish streams Blackwater rivers and streams
Elevation 0-3700 m (0-12100 ft) 0-100 m (0-300 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
FL
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 ulvacea is probably better treated as a subspecies. Gulf coast plants intermediate between N. ulvacea and N. advena, which have been treated as Nymphaea [Nuphar] chartacea, are treated under N. advena.

(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. sagittifolia, N. variegata
Synonyms N. lutea subsp. polysepala, Nymphaea polysepala Nymphaea ulvacea, N. lutea subsp. ulvacea
Name authority Engelmann: Trans. Acad. Sci. St. Louis 2: 282. 1865 (as polysepalum) (G. S. Miller & Standley) Standley: Publ. Field Columbian Mus., Bot. Ser. 8: 311. 1931 (as ulvaceum)
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