''Nuphar polysepala'', also known as the great yellow pond-lily, wokas,
or wocus,
is a perennial,
rhizomatous, aquatic
herb
in the genus ''
Nuphar
''Nuphar'' is a genus of aquatic plants in the family Nymphaeaceae, with a temperate to subarctic Northern Hemisphere distribution. Common names include water-lily (Eurasian species; shared with many other genera in the same family), pond-lily, a ...
'' native to western North America.
[''Nuphar polysepala'' in Flora of North America @ efloras.org. (n.d.). Retrieved February 2, 2025, from http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=233500817] It is commonly found in shallow muddy ponds from northern Alaska and
Yukon
Yukon () is a Provinces and territories of Canada, territory of Canada, bordering British Columbia to the south, the Northwest Territories to the east, the Beaufort Sea to the north, and the U.S. state of Alaska to the west. It is Canada’s we ...
southward to central California and northern New Mexico, and can be recognized easily by its large floating leaves and bright yellow blossoms.
Description
Vegetative characteristics
''Nuphar polysepala'' is a perennial,
[''Nuphar polysepala'' Engelm. (n.d.). Calflora. Retrieved February 2, 2025, from https://www.calflora.org/app/taxon?crn=10994] rhizomatous, aquatic
[''Nuphar polysepala'' Engelm. (n.d.). Plants of the World Online. Retrieved February 2, 2025, from https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:1021676-2] herb
with spongy, creeping, branching,
[DiTomaso, J. M., Healy, E. A. (2003).]
Aquatic and riparian weeds of the West.
p. 110. USA: University of California, Agriculture and Natural Resources. up to 5 m long,
[Merrick, Samantha; Matthews, Robin A.; and Vandersypen, Joan, "Reed Lake 2013 Aquatic Plant Survey" (2013). Reed Lake. 1. https://cedar.wwu.edu/iws_reed/1] and 3-8 cm wide rhizomes
and an extensive root system.
[Klinger, Jesse T. (Jesse Tyler), "The Associations of Epiphytic Macroinvertebrates and Aquatic Macrophytes in Canyon Lake, WA" (2018). WWU Graduate School Collection. 729. https://cedar.wwu.edu/wwuet/729] The leaves are submerged or floating.
[''Nuphar lutea'' ssp. ''polysepala''. (n.d.). Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - the University of Texas at Austin. Retrieved February 2, 2025, from https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=NULUP] The ovate to oblong leaf is 10–45 cm long,
and 7–30 cm wide.
The terete petiole
is up to 2 m long.
[''Nuphar polysepala''. (n.d.). Washington Native Plant Society. Retrieved February 2, 2025, from https://www.wnps.org/native-plant-directory/171-nuphar-polysepala]
Generative characteristics
The solitary, pedunculate, bisexual,
5–10 cm wide flowers
float on the water surface, or extend beyond it.
[Wildflowers of the Rocky Mountain Region.](_blank)
(2018). USA: Timber Press. They have (6–)9(–12)
green to bright yellow sepals,
which occasionally have a red base.
The 10-20 green to yellow, thick petals
are hidden by the stamens.
[''Nuphar polysepalum'' Engelm. (n.d.). Alaskaflora. Retrieved February 2, 2025, from http://alaskaflora.org/hulten/do?method=detail&id=450-2] The strongly ribbed,
ovoid to cylindric, 4–6(–9) cm long, and 3.5–6 cm wide fruit
bears 4 mm long seeds.
[''Nuphar polysepala'' Engelm (Engelm.) E.O. Beal. (n.d.). E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Flora of British Columbia. Retrieved February 2, 2025, from https://linnet.geog.ubc.ca/Atlas/Atlas.aspx?sciname=Nuphar%20polysepala&noTransfer=0]
Cytology
The chromosome count is 2n = 34.
[Pellicer, J., Kelly, L. J., Magdalena, C., & Leitch, I. J. (2013)]
Insights into the dynamics of genome size and chromosome evolution in the early diverging angiosperm lineage Nymphaeales (water lilies).
Genome, 56(8), 437-449.
Taxonomy
It was published by
George Engelmann
George Engelmann, also known as Georg Engelmann, (2 February 1809 – 4 February 1884) was a German-American botanist. He was instrumental in describing the flora (plants), flora of the west of North America, then very poorly known to Europeans; ...
in 1866.
[Academy of Science of St. Louis. (1860). Transactions of the Academy of Science of St. Louis (Vol. 2, p. 282). Academy of Science of St. Louis]. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/5787992][''Nuphar polysepala'' Engelm. (n.d.-b). International Plant Names Index. Retrieved February 2, 2025, from https://www.ipni.org/n/1021676-2] The lectotype specimen was collected by C. C. Parry in Osborn's Lake, Colorado, USA in 1864.
It is placed in the section
Nuphar sect. Astylus, ''Nuphar'' sect. ''Astylus''.
[''Nuphar polysepala'' Engelmann. (n.d.). Database of Vascular Plants of Canada (VASCAN). Retrieved February 2, 2025, from https://data.canadensys.net/vascan/taxon/6714]
Etymology
The specific epithet ''polysepala'' means "with many sepals".
[Bayton, R. (2020). Practical Uses of Botanical Latin. In The Gardener's Botanical: An Encyclopedia of Latin Plant Names - with More than 5,000 Entries (pp. 22-318). Princeton: Princeton University Press. https://doi.org/10.1515/9780691209135-007]
Habitat and ecology
Habitat
It occurs in slowly flowing streams,
ponds, and lakes
in up to 2,4 m deep water.
It provides shelter for fish.
Pollination
It is pollinated by flies and beetles.
[WTU Herbarium, Burke Museum, University of Washington. (n.d.). ''Nuphar polysepala''. Burke Herbarium. Retrieved February 2, 2025, from https://burkeherbarium.org/imagecollection/taxon.php?Taxon=Nuphar%20polysepala]
Conservation
The
NatureServe conservation status
The NatureServe conservation status system, maintained and presented by NatureServe in cooperation with the Natural Heritage Network, was developed in the United States in the 1980s by The Nature Conservancy (TNC) as a means for ranking or categor ...
is T5 Secure.
Uses
Food
The seeds are edible; they pop like popcorn, and can be steamed as a vegetable, dried and ground for flour, or can be cooked like oatmeal.
Historically they have been a significant source of carbohydrates for the
Klamath and
Modoc
Modoc may refer to:
Ethnic groups
*Modoc people, a Native American/First Nations people
** Modoc language
** Modoc Nation, a federally recognized tribe of Modoc
* Modoc War, the last armed resistance of the Modoc people in 1873
*The "Modocs", ri ...
peoples who inhabit the area near
Oregon
Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...
's
Upper Klamath Lake
Upper Klamath Lake (sometimes called Klamath Lake) ( Klamath: ?ews, "lake") is a large, shallow freshwater lake east of the Cascade Range in south-central Oregon in the United States. The largest body of fresh water by surface area in Oregon, it ...
.
Medicinal
Leaves and rootstocks have been used for ulcerous skin conditions and swelling. The rootstock infusion is used as a traditional gargle for mouth, sore throats and douche for vaginal inflammation. The rootstock is prepared from two tablespoon chopped rhizome with one cup boiling water .
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1661332
polysepala
Flora of Western Canada
Flora of the Western United States
Flora of California
Taxa named by George Engelmann
Flora without expected TNC conservation status