What are tthe uses of the water lilies?

Water Lily flowers are wonderfully showy and fragrant, lasting only a few days. Some open during the day and close at night, others the opposite. Most are pollinated by beetles.



The Fragrant Water Lily (Nymphae odorata) has a unique pollination strategy. On the first day that the flower blooms, its pollen is not yet released, and instead, a fluid fills the centre of the flower, covering the female parts.



Uses: The American Indians made flour out of dried roots by pounding them. The flour was then baked into pancakes. The young leaves and flower buds were eaten as vegetables, seeds eaten fried.



Traditional medicinal uses: American Indians used the plant to treat many ailments. Mashed green roots were used as poultice for swollen limbs; the roots for problems of the womb, digestive problems, a rinse for mouth sores; leaves and flowers as cooling compresses.



Role in the habitat: The Water Lily's leaves shade the water keeping it cool and thus allowing for more dissolved oxygen. The plant also provides hiding places for small aquatic creatures, which in turn attract predators such as Bitterns (see right). But in places where it has been introduced, the Water Lily can become a weed and blocking out sunlight and oxygen from the water and displacing local aquatic plants.

What are tthe uses of the water lilies?
I don't know if they really have a use, but they are beautiful and used to beautify peoples outdoor water gardens.