As one of the most common water lilies, fragrant water lilies (Nymphaea odorata) are a common sight on New England freshwater ponds, shallow lakes, and slow moving streams. Native to the northeastern United States and parts of Canada, the fragrant water lily has large (2-6 inches across), fragrant, white (sometimes pink) flowers. Although the large flowers can be quite conspicuous, they only open in the morning, and typically close around noon. So if you’re visiting a pond in the afternoon you’re unlikely to see any open flowers. Each flower has four sepals, many rows of pointed white petals, and numerous yellow stamens and pistols in the center.

The leaves of the fragrant water lily are flat, round, can be up to 12 inches in diameter, and float on the surface of the water. When well established, the leaves of water lilies can cover a large area of a pond’s surface. The leaves have long stems, which are rooted in the sediment, and are bright green above and reddish or purplish underneath. These round leaves are often referred to as “lily pads”. 

As a floating aquatic plant, which has much of its biomass below the surface of the water, fragrant water lilies have numerous adaptations that help them thrive in their watery environment. The leaf stalk is filled with soft, spongy tissue and contains four main air channels for the movement of gases, especially oxygen, from the leaves to the large roots (rhizomes) buried in the muck. These air filled tubes also add buoyancy to the plant. Additionally, the stomata (the tiny openings on a leaf’s surface that are used to exchange carbon dioxide and other gases) are on the upper leaf surface, where they will have direct contact with the air, rather than on the underside, where they occur on most land plants.