Nymphaea pubescens Willd.

Annual or perennial; rhizome erect, tuberous, to c. 8 cm long. Leaf lamina elliptic to orbicular, to 43 cm wide, dentate; undersurface usually hairy. Flowers to 10 cm above water. Sepals 4 or 5, to 9 cm long, obtuse. Petals to 19, oblanceolate, obtuse, grading into stamens, white, usually tinged pink. Stamens to c. 60; filaments flattened, thickened, tough, to 32 mm long; anthers to 20 mm long. Carpels 11–20; sterile stigmatic lobes to 5 mm long, curling over at maturity. Fruit c. 5 cm diam. Seeds c. 1.5 mm long, c. 1 mm wide, glabrous, with rows of small bumps.

A tropical plant. The plants occur in coastal swamps, lagoons and lakes. It grows in wetlands.

The small seeds in the seed heads are eaten raw or cooked. They are roasted with salt. Of some kinds the flower stalk is skinned then eaten raw. They are also cooked as a vegetable. The rootstocks are also eaten. They are sliced and cooked as curry with potato and onion.

Plants grow naturally from seed. Seeds float temporarily then sink.