What's Blooming Now Spatterdock-also known as cow lily-is a
yellow-flowered water lily native to the backwaters, swamps and
ponds of the Southeast. In Southwest Florida, it blooms
throughout the year. The leaves, which can be up to 12 inches in
diameter, vary greatly in shape, from rounded and heart-shaped
to long and spear-shaped. Sometimes spatterdock float on the
surface; other times they stand above it on slender stalks.
Their flowers are easy to recognize-one-inch-diameter, rounded
yellow buds that never open in the broad display of color we
expect of other water lilies. A spatterdock flower in full bloom
resembles a bud just beginning to open. Spatterdock grows in
shallow water and provides shelter for fishes and invertebrates.
But when high levels of fertilizer from lawns and agricultural
fields get into the water, they can become a nuisance, slowing
flow in canals, increasing siltation, and sometimes growing in
such dense aggregations that other plants are excluded.
Spatterdock seeds were eaten by Nat