lily pad

A round leaf of the Nymphaeaceae family (water lilies).

Common lily pads have a notch in each leaf and always float on the water's surface. This helps distinguish them from lotus leaves, which rise above the water's surface as they mature and do not have notches unless they are damaged.

Examples

Each common lily pad (Nymphaea) has a notch

Lily pads always float on the water's surface

Non-examples

Young and weak lotus leaves usually float on the water's surface, especially during rain

Mature lotus leaves rise above the water's surface and are not notched unless damaged

See Also

• Lily
• Lotus

The following tags are aliased to this tag: lilypad, lilypads, and water_lily_pad (learn more).