How Water Lilies Make Seeds

Hardy water lilies bloom from May through September in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 3 through 11. Water lilies (Nymphaea odorata) in a pond add a new dimension to gardening. Like non-aquatic plants, water lilies need light and nutrients for growth and reproduction. But water lilies need a special feature to make seeds -- water. Although water lilies are not self-pollinating, each fragrant water lily flower has both male and female parts for seed production.


Each water lily flower produces pollen. However, the first day the flower is open, the plant does not release pollen. Instead, a pool of fragrant liquid develops in the center of the flower, covering the stigma -- the female reproductive flower part. Insects are attracted to the liquid and crawl into the center of the flower in search of the sweet fluid. Pollen from other water lily flowers is washed off of the insect's body into the pool of liquid, where it dissolves and enters the stigma, fertilizing the flower and beginning the seed production cycle.

Pollen Release

Fluid production ceases after the first day. On the second and third days, pollen is released from the plant's stamens -- the male reproductive parts. Pollen sticks to the bodies and legs of visiting insects. When these insects visit receptive flowers, pollen is washed off the insects' bodies or drops into the fluid-filled center of the flower and the reproduction cycle is perpetuated.

Stem Recoil

After the third day of flowering, the flower stem of a water lily tightens and spirals with a springlike action, drawing the flower head underwater. During the next several weeks, seeds grow in the ovary of the flower, producing a spongy berry containing up to 2,000 seeds.

Seed Dispersal

When first released from the pod, a water lily seed has an aril coating with air pockets, providing a flotation device for the seed. As the seeds float in the water, they eventually become waterlogged and the aril coating disintegrates. The seeds fall to the bottom of the pond. Lodged in mud, water lily seeds sprout and colonize a new location. This type of seed dispersal is called hydrochory -- seed dissemination by water transport. Seeds are also dispersed by birds or aquatic animals that eat the seeds for their aril coatings. The seed itself is indigestible and so is dispersed through excrement -- a process called edozoochory.