Fragrant Water-lily
Nymphaea odorata
Native to Louisiana (estimated). How scores work Is it native here?
Profile 82%
- Height
- 2 feet
- Light
- Full sun
- Soil moisture
- Wet
At a glance
- Life cycle
- Perennial
- Leaves
- Deciduous
Not yet recorded · Spread · Bloom
Recorded in 39 Louisiana parishes.
Also found with this plant
Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Louisiana. Shared habitat, not food. 160 animals.
- Mississippi KiteIctinia mississippiensis
- Mottled DuckAnas fulvigula
- Nelson's Sharp-tailed SparrowAmmodramus nelsoni
- Northern ParulaParula americana
- Northern PintailAnas acuta
- Northern WaterthrushSeiurus noveboracensis
- Orchard OrioleIcterus spurius
- OvenbirdSeiurus aurocapilla
- Painted BuntingPasserina ciris
- Palm WarblerDendroica palmarum
- Peregrine FalconFalco peregrinus
- Pied-billed GrebePodilymbus podiceps
- Piping PloverCharadrius melodus
- Prairie WarblerDendroica discolor
- Purple MartinProgne subis
- Red KnotCalidris canutus
- Red-breasted MerganserMergus serrator
- Ring-billed GullLarus delawarensis
- Ring-necked PheasantPhasianus colchicus
- Royal TernThalasseus maximus
- Ruddy DuckOxyura jamaicensis
- Ruddy TurnstoneArenaria interpres
- Sandwich TernThalasseus sandvicensis
- Savannah SparrowPasserculus sandwichensis
Widespread birds also seen here (34)
Found in many habitats here, so not listed above.
- American Goldfinch
- American Kestrel
- American Robin
- Bald Eagle
- Black-crowned Night-heron
- Blue Grosbeak
- Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
- Canada Goose
- Cedar Waxwing
- Chimney Swift
- Common Nighthawk
- Common Yellowthroat
- Cooper's Hawk
- Double-crested Cormorant
- Eastern Kingbird
- European Starling
- Great Egret
- Great Horned Owl
- Mourning Dove
- Northern Cardinal
- Northern Flicker
- Northern Mockingbird
- Osprey
- Pine Siskin
- Purple Finch
- Red-tailed Hawk
- Red-winged Blackbird
- Sharp-shinned Hawk
- Tree Swallow
- Turkey Vulture
- White-throated Sparrow
- Yellow-breasted Chat
- Yellow-crowned Night-heron
- Yellow-rumped Warbler
Who uses this plant?
9CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including LA
Genus host records with ranges including LA · Nymphaea
- Bellura gortynoidesWhite-Tailed Diver
- Elophila gyralisWaterlily Borer Moth
- Elophila obliteralisWaterlily Leafcutter Moth
- Parapoynx allionealisWatermilfoil Leafcutter, Bladderwort Casemaker
- Parapoynx maculalisPolymorphic Pondweed Moth
- Parapoynx obscuralisObscure Pondweed Moth
- Parapoynx seminealisFloating-Heart Waterlilly Moth, Waterlily Casebearer
- Spodoptera latifasciaOrange-Striped Armyworm, Velvet Armyworm Moth
- Spodoptera ornithogalliYellow-Striped Armyworm Moth, Cotton Cutworm
7BeesSoutheastern regional records
Southeastern regional records · Nymphaea
Individual names are not available yet.
Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
0Specialist beesPollen specialists
4BirdsRecorded eating Nymphaea in Louisiana
Diet records by plant genus, from studies across North America. Not a record from this state. Birds whose range includes Louisiana, most records first.
- Ring-necked DuckSeeds. 2 diet records
- Sandhill Crane2 diet records
- Wood DuckSeeds. 2 diet records
- Lesser ScaupSeeds. 1 diet record
Direct food only. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening
No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects
Birds that eat Nymphaea 4
Diet records by plant genus, from studies across North America. Not a record from this state. Avian Diet Database (Hurlbert Lab), CC0 1.0.
- Ring-necked DuckAythya collaris
- Sandhill CraneGrus canadensis
- Wood DuckAix sponsa
- Lesser ScaupAythya affinis
Plant details
- Family
- Nymphaeaceae
- Flower color
- White
What its natural habitat tells you
Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.
Growing sources and scope
- Flower color · “White” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
- Height · “2 feet” · Tennessee Smart Yards · Published Tennessee growing guidance; exact cached scientific heading
- Leaves · “Deciduous” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
- Life cycle · “Perennial” · Minnesota Wildflowers
- Light · “Full sun” · Tennessee Smart Yards (ranked first; Virginia DCR Piedmont, Virginia DCR Coastal Plain, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center differ) · Published Tennessee growing guidance; exact cached scientific heading
- primary_flower_color · “white” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
- Soil · “wet” · Tennessee Smart Yards (ranked first; Virginia DCR Piedmont, Virginia DCR Coastal Plain differ) · Published Tennessee growing guidance; exact cached scientific heading
Also known as
Fragrant Water lily; White Water Lily
Conservation status
| Louisiana rank | SNR |
|---|---|
| Global rank | G5 |
| LA status | Not verified |
| Federal status | Not verified |
Will it fit your yard?
Check this plant against your county, sun and soil moisture. Conditions are checked in your browser.
Growing cautions
- Spreads aggressively. Spreads rapidly by rhizomes. Tennessee Smart Yards
For planning only; these do not change the score or Fit.
Sources
- USDA PLANTS
- Vascular Plants of North Carolina (NC Natural Heritage Program)
- Louisiana occurrence source
- Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
- Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
- Smith, Bachelder, Russell, Morales, Mosher & Seltmann 2024, Bee-Specialization-Modeling v0.6.1 (specialist host table compiled from J. Fowler's pollen specialist bee lists), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
- Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)
- Narango, Tallamy & Shropshire 2020, Few keystone plant genera support the majority of Lepidoptera species, Nature Communications