American Spatterdock

American Spatterdock is a native aquatic plant of shallow ponds, slow streams, and tidal marshes in eastern North America, producing distinctive cup-shaped yellow flowers that rise just above the water surface on stout stems. Unlike true water lilies, its flower petals are actually large sepals, and the real petals are small and inconspicuous within the cup. Muskrats heavily consume the starchy rhizomes, creating open channels through dense stands. The plant's broad floating leaves provide shade and shelter for fish, frogs, and turtles.