Japanese spatterdock

Nuphar japonica

Also known as Spatterdock, Japanese pond lily, Nuphar japonicum

FreshwaterRhizomeRhizome division

Japanese spatterdock (Nuphar japonica) — KENPEI · CC BY-SA 3.0

Care at a glance

Light: Medium light
CO2: CO₂ beneficial
Temperature: 61–79°F; 16–26°C
Max height: 23.6 in; 60 cm

Growth rate: Slow
Placement: Background
Type: Rhizome
pH: 6.0–7.5
Hardness: 2–15 dGH
Spread: 11.8 in (30 cm)
Nutrient uptake: Root feeder
Growth region: Submersed or emersed
Difficulty: Medium
Family: Nymphaeaceae
Origin: East Asia (Japan, Korea, China)

Overview

A slow-growing rhizome plant that rewards patience and good light. Lay the rhizome on or just into a rich substrate and do not bury it fully or it will rot; use root tabs since it feeds mainly through the roots. It prefers cooler, harder water than most tropical lilies, so it suits temperate and subtropical tanks. Give it bright light and it holds beautiful ruffled translucent submersed leaves, but it will try to send leaves to the surface, so remove floating pads to keep it fully submersed. Best as a background feature in larger tanks or a paludarium centrepiece.

In the wild

Native to East Asia, mainly Japan, Korea and parts of China, where it grows in ponds, slow streams and pond margins. It grows from a thick creeping rhizome and produces translucent, wavy-edged arrow- to heart-shaped submersed leaves, with tougher floating and emergent leaves developing at the surface. In the open it raises small yellow cup-shaped flowers above the water.

Good to know

A member of the water lily family Nymphaeaceae in the genus Nuphar, the pond lilies or spatterdocks, distinguished from Nymphaea by their yellow, partly closed flowers. It grows from a stout horizontal rhizome (often sold loosely as a 'bulb') rather than a rounded tuber, and reproduces both by seed and by division of that rhizome. The translucent submersed leaves are prized by aquascapers.

Did you know

Did you know spatterdock rhizomes were historically used as food and folk medicine in Japan, and unlike white water lilies the genus Nuphar holds its yellow flowers only half-open, which is why the plants are also called brandy-bottles.