Scientific Family
Nymphaeaceae
Synonyms
Castalia flava, Nymphaea flava
Other common names
banana waterlily
sun lotus
Mexican waterlily
Plant type
Forbs and Subshrubs
Origin
Native
Lifecycle
Perennial
Height
6 inches to nearly 5 feet
Riparian
Yes
Aquatic plant with thick, submerged stems. Nearly round leaves up to 7 inches wide are green above, purplish below, often dotted with brown. Floats on the water's surface. Showy, yellow, lotus-shaped flowers float or rise above the water, close nightly.
Aquatic; rhizomes erect; stolons have fleshy banana-like roots; leaves float, purplish below and dark flecked, green above, often mottled with brown, often nearly round; yellow flowers above water or floating; sepals, outermost petals in whorls of 4.
Habitat
Found in lakes, ponds, warm springs, pools, marshes (wetland dominated by grasses), sloughs (a swamp or shallow lake system), slow streams, ditches and canals.
Plant Community
Riparian
Low elevation
3500
High elevation
4000
Flower Characteristics
Yellow flowers have a purplish tinge on the outside and may be faintly scented. Petals (up to 30) have a long oval shape and rounded tips. Yellowish-green leaf-like sepals below the flower and the outermost petals grow in distinct whorls of 4.
Flower color
Yellow
Flower shape
Regular
Tubular
No
First bloom month
March
Last bloom month
October
Flower clusters
None
Leaf and Stem Characteristics
Specialized stems (stolons) produce bunches of small yellow roots that resemble miniature bananas to store nutrients. Leaves green with brown spots above, purplish below and narrowly notched almost to the center on one side where the stalk is attached.
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf color
Green
Leaf shape
Round or oval
Leaf margin
Smooth
Leaves clasp
No
Leaf hairs
Leaves & stems
Spines
No
Fruit and Seed Characteristics
The fruit is a berry-like capsule, round to egg-shaped, about 3/4 inch wide and may be spongy or fleshy. The fruit ripens underwater producing numerous small seeds.
Fruit type
Capsule
Fruit color
Green
Seeds are sphere-shaped, about 1/8 inch long and 1/4 inch wide. Each seed has a floating membrane-like covering called an "aril" that is 1/4 inch wide as well as fine, greenish-black, hairlike growths called "papillae" that lay flat against its surface.