Nymphaea lotus L. (Nymphaeaceae)

Scientific name
Nymphaea lotus L.
Family name
Nymphaeaceae
Common name
Water lily (English); nettai suiren (Japanese)
Local name
Bua kin saai
Annual aquatic herb. Rhizome creeps in mud. Leaves ovate-circular, deeply cordate, coarsely dentate, 15–20 cm in diameter, floating; petiole cylindrical, glabrous, long. Flowers solitary, with 4 outer green segments, 12–14 petals, numerous stamens, large, white, dark pink, or violet. Fruit globose-compressed, fleshy, ripening underwater. Seeds globose, numerous.
Traditional medicinal use
Functionality
Functional constituents
Common aquatic plant that thrives in full sun. Cultivated in ditches and ponds throughout Thailand. Propagated by rhizome division.
Flower stalks are eaten raw with nam phrik (dipping sauces) or stir-fried prawn, shrimp, or pork dishes such as phat saai bua moo sab (stir-fried water lily and minced pork). They are also added to kaeng som (sweet and sour curry), or cooked in mackerel curries.
Scene at a market
Stems