All plants /Aquatic /American Lotus
American Lotus
Nelumbo lutea, lotus family. Uncommon in East Texas.
At a glance
- What
- Seeds; young leaves; tubers
- How
- Seeds raw or roasted; tubers and young leaves cooked
- When
- Late summer for seeds
- Where
- Still lakes, oxbows, slow water of East Texas
- Value
- Starch, protein from the seeds
Caution: Harvest only from clean water, and be certain of the plant. A safe and choice water plant when the water is clean. Never eat a wild plant on this guide's word alone. Confirm identity against several sources and learn the look-alikes first.
Identification
Huge round leaves standing above the water and pale yellow flowers, followed by the famous shower-head seed pod. The only lotus native to the region.
In the kitchen
The green seeds are a fresh nutty snack and the ripe ones roast like nuts; the starchy tubers cook like a potato and the unfurling young leaves are a cooked green.
Photo: MathieuMD, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Forages well with
Forage safely. Never eat a wild plant on this site's word alone. Confirm identity with several sources, learn the look-alikes, and when in doubt, leave it in the ground.