Yellow Pond Lily
Nuphar variegata
Alberta's classic native pond lily, with large round floating heart-shaped leaves and cupped yellow flowers bobbing above the water from June through August. Often reported under the older name Nuphar lutea, but North American plants are now properly Nuphar variegata. Sacred and culturally important to many Indigenous nations; seeds and starchy rhizomes were a traditional food. Essential habitat for dragonflies, frogs, and waterfowl.
Quick Facts
Distribution
Province-wide ponds, slow streams, lake shallows, Zone 2
Light
Full sun (water 30–200 cm deep)
Bloom Time
June–Aug
Soil
Soft mud or silt pond bottom
Water
Rooted in 30–200 cm of still or slow-moving water
Growing & Cultivation
Propagation
Divide rhizomes in spring or summer — cut sections with a growing tip and anchor in pond mud. Seed is slow and requires constantly wet conditions.
