Euryale (plant)
Euryale is a small group of flowering plants in the water lily family. Today there is only one living species, Euryale ferox, and several fossil species.
Euryale plants grow in water. They have creeping underground stems (rhizomes). The top of the leaves is green with prickles along the veins, while the underside is violet with prickly veins. Flowers sit on stalks about 5 cm across and have prickly stalks and sepals.
The flowers have four persistent sepals. The fruit is prickly and contains 8–20 seeds that are black and about 6–10 mm in size.
Euryale ferox is found in ponds, lakes, rice fields, and marshes. It is visited by flies and solitary bees for pollination.
Geographically, Euryale today grows from northern India to the Russian Far East and into temperate East Asia. It has recently been found in Serbia in Europe, likely spread by migratory birds. The fossil record shows it once lived in central Europe as well.
Conservation and taxonomy: Euryale ferox is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN. It is sometimes grouped with Nymphaea in classification, and some fossil species are placed in a different genus, but there is only one living Euryale species now.
Uses: The seeds and the plant’s stalks are eaten as food.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 14:56 (CET).