Also known as Fragrant Water Lily,  and Alligator Bonnet, its scientific name comes from Nympha, a nature goddess in mythology.  This aquatic, perennial has a white flower that is known for its fragrance. It is 6 to 20 cm wide, with  many petals, a yellow center and 4 green sepals. It blooms from mid-morning to early afternoon, throughout the summer. Flowers float on or just above the water surface.

Its green leaves are 7-30 cm wide, round and notched to the center. The leaves float on the surface from long stalks that grow from long rhizomes in the mud. Its leaves are purple on the underside.

Water Lilies grow in dense patches of swamps, shallow ponds, lakes, ditches, and slow moving stream. They reproduce by seed and by new plants sprouting from the large spreading rhizomes.

Roots were used medicinally and as food. Its seeds have been used as food too. The leaves and flowers were also used as cooling compresses but were also eaten as a vegetable.  Wildlife eat the leaves, roots, or seeds.  The dense leaves provide shelter and habitat for life in the water.