Nymphoides peltata

Water fringe

Family: Menyanthaceae · Type: perennial · Not Native

Water fringe is a naturalized perennial found in northern Sierra Nevada Mountains at Trout Lake in El Dorado County and coastal California, occurring in still water and slow-moving rivers at approximately 1,100 meters elevation. Flowering from June to September, this aquatic plant produces distinctive yellow flowers 30 to 40 millimeters in diameter with wide, thin, wavy, and fringed-ciliate margins. Growing with creeping stems up to 160 centimeters long and floating flowering stems, it spreads extensively across water surfaces. Its leaves are 3 to 10 centimeters wide with wavy or entire margins, creating a broad, floating canopy. The plant produces flat, ovate seeds with coarse ciliate edges, contributing to its unique aquatic adaptation.

Habitat: Still water, slow-moving rivers

Bloom period: Jun-Sep

Elevation: +- 1100 m.

Bioregions: n SNH (Trout Lake, El Dorado Co.), CCo (reported)

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.