Nutritional Freshwater Life
42
Nelumbo lutea (Willd.)
Order: Proteales
Family: Nelumbonaceae
Common name: American lotus, yellow lotus.
Distribution: Native to North America;
southeastern United States, Mexico,
Honduras, and the Caribbean.
Habitat: Marshes, quiet backwaters,
and nearshore areas in large rivers;
muddy, shallow waters to water over
6 ft deep.
Description: It is a floating-leaf aquatic
plant that often rises above the surface
of the water. It has round, bluish green
leaves that can be up to 60 cm in diameter
and that are flat in appearance if the plant
is floating  and conical when emergent.
Flowers are very large (up to 25 cm across)
and may have more than 20 delicate petals, which range in color from yellowish
white to darker yellow. Seed of this species is edible (Rhode Island Department
of Environmental Management, 2010).
Nutritional Facts
Proximate Composition (% DM)
Ash
Protein
Fat
Cellulose Energy a
10.3
13.7
5.3
23.6
3.7
a kcal/g.
Source: Data from Boyd (1968b).