Euryale

Scientific name

Euryale Salisb.

Common names

water gorgon, gorgon plant, prickly waterlily

Family

Nymphaeaceae

Similar genera

Victoria

Native distribution

China, India, Japan

Species cultivated

Euryale ferox Salisb.

Adventive distribution

none

Weed status

may be considered a weed in some countries

Habit

rooted, attached rosetterosette:
(n) a radiating cluster of leaves, usually close to the ground at the base of a plant
with floating leaves

Brief description

Annual or perennialperennial:
(adj) (of a plant) having a life cycle of more than two years
. Stem a short rhizomerhizome:
(n) an underground stem, usually growing horizontally, from which both roots and shoots emerge directly; the thick, above-ground stem of ferns
. Leaves in a rosetterosette:
(n) a radiating cluster of leaves, usually close to the ground at the base of a plant
; juvenile leaves submergedsubmerged:
(adj) (syn. submersed) under water; submerged below the water surface
, mature leaves floating, peltatepeltate:
(adj) of usually flat organs such as leaves: having its stalk attached to its underside away from the margin, near the center
; petiolepetiole:
(n) the stalk of a leaf
elongate, bladeblade:
(n) (syn. lamina) the flat, expanded part of a leaf, frond, or petal (excluding, e.g., the petiole)
and petiolepetiole:
(n) the stalk of a leaf
densely covered with large spines; leaf bladeblade:
(n) (syn. lamina) the flat, expanded part of a leaf, frond, or petal (excluding, e.g., the petiole)
orbicular, venationvenation:
(n) the arrangement of veins in a leaf
palmatepalmate:
(adj) (of leaves or venation) with lobes, leaflets, divisions or veins originating from the same point
; marginmargin:
(n) edge; rim
entireentire:
(adj) having a continuous margin that is not toothed or lobed
, not upturned. Inflorescenceinflorescence:
(n) the arrangement of flowers on the floral axis
a conspicuous, solitary flower; pedicelpedicel:
(n) the stalk of a single flower in an inflorescence, or of a grass spikelet
with large spines; sepals 4, with large spines; petals numerous, white, blue, red or violet. Dispersal by seed.

Natural habitat

lakes, pools, and slow flowing rivers, in water up to five meters deep

Additional comments

Euryale ferox, the only species in the genus, is a very large waterlily covered with numerous spines on all surfaces. Euryale is used as a traditional medicine and as an ornamental plant in large ponds. This plant is considered threatened and possibly extinct in some areas of India.