No. 165

American lotus

Nelumbo lutea; escaped N. nucifera (sacred lotus)

water chinquapin, yellow lotus; also escaped sacred lotus

Roots, bulbs & tubers tuberous rootstock (rhizome), cooked

Drawing: Britton & Brown, Illustrated Flora (1913)

Find

Common in the right habitat

Effort

Real work

ID risk

Beginner

Origin

mixed

Safety marks

Cook first
Spray risk

Uses

Cooked vegetable / soup

Season

in season peak

Picking: No park we checked allows it. Anywhere else, ask whoever owns or runs the land. See Where you may pick.

What these mean

Find

1 Everywhere · 2 Common in the right habitat · 3 Patchy · 4 Elusive. This is about how much there is, not whether you may pick it. It is based on iNaturalist sightings within 25 km (about 15 miles) of downtown DC, counted on October 3, 2026. The four rules that each plant’s “Find” reason refers to: (A) the estimate is the confirmed sightings, plus the unconfirmed ones (scaled down where the plant has lookalikes in its genus), plus the sightings marked as planted; (B) the tier by estimate: 1,500 or more is tier 1, 250–1,499 tier 2, 50–249 tier 3, under 50 tier 4; (C) tier 1, Everywhere, also needs a source saying the plant is common in lawns, sidewalks, yards or gardens, vacant lots or towns, or at least one DC street tree of it per km of sidewalk, otherwise it is tier 2; (D) if a reliable source says the plant is rare in this region, or that wild plants rarely bear the harvest, only planted sightings count. iNaturalist is a website and phone app where people post photos of the plants and animals they see. A sighting is “research grade” when other users have confirmed what it is; “needs ID” sightings are not confirmed yet, and “cultivated” ones are marked as planted.

Effort

1 Grab & eat · 2 Quick kitchen prep (under about 30 minutes) · 3 Real work (hours, or cooking needed for safety) · 4 Project (days or equipment). Scored on the simplest worthwhile use; each plant’s page says why.

ID risk

How hard it is to harvest safely. Beginner: no dangerous lookalike, and the edible part is not easily confused with a toxic part. Careful: a toxic lookalike, or toxic parts that end up in the harvest unless removed (for example elderberry stems, unripe ground cherries), or other parts of the plant rated medium-or-higher toxicity, with reliable features to separate them. Expert only: a potentially deadly lookalike that is hard to separate, or (for not-recommended harvests like pokeweed) a plant whose safe preparation can’t be guaranteed. Toxic parts that are obviously separate and thrown away anyway (pits, seeds, skins) don’t raise it; the Toxic parts mark carries that warning.

Native or not, and the invader stars

Origin is where the plant comes from: native, non-native, or mixed (the harvest covers both). The stars rate plants on invasive plant lists: ★★★ Virginia DCR “High” or Maryland prohibited invasive · ★★ Virginia “Medium” · ★ Virginia “Low” · ☆ listed only by the Maryland Invasive Species Council or the Mid-Atlantic Plant Invaders guide (advisory) · no stars: native or not listed.

Safety marks and flags

Deadly lookalike / Toxic lookalike: a cited source names a lookalike of that danger, recorded near DC (an iNaturalist sighting within 25 km, a DC street tree, or a Smithsonian listing for DC) and looking like the part you eat. Other lookalikes are still listed, marked “not recorded near DC” or as not looking like the part you eat. Deadly means a source says eating it may be fatal or calls it deadly, or NC State rates it high severity with life-threatening symptoms (sources sometimes disagree; for example Virginia creeper). Each plant’s Lookalikes list says how to tell them apart; “harmless (may be edible)” lookalikes are listed so you know a mix-up isn’t dangerous. Cook first: cooking is needed for safety (for daylilies it is a precaution, not a sourced requirement). Eat in moderation: a source says to limit quantity or frequency (for example oxalates in sorrels and dock, ginkgotoxin, safrole). Spray risk: a source says the plant is commonly treated with herbicide in parks or lawns (invasive control, lawn weeds) or, for ginkgo, sprayed to stop fruiting. Contamination: a source says the plant concentrates pollutants. Each plant’s Safety flags list gives the details and sources.

Seasons

Start, peak and end are given in thirds of a month: early, mid or late. A plant counts as in season for a month if it is in season at any point in that month. Some greens and roots have a second window, in spring or fall; their page shows each window. A season that runs across New Year is shown as one window.

What it looks like

A native water plant of the lotus family that spreads, sometimes aggressively, by thick rootstocks (rhizomes) rooted in the mud of ponds and slow streams (NC State); the rhizomes anchor the plant and store its food (National Park Service). The rootstock is banana-shaped and thick, sometimes close to a foot long, and a cut slice looks like a wagon wheel (Eat The Weeds). Above it, round, bowl-shaped leaves 1-2 feet across stand 1-2 feet above the water or float on it, with the stalk attached at the middle of the leaf, and pale yellow flowers up to 10 inches across bloom in summer (NC State; Eat The Weeds). The root is sweet and compared to sweet potato, though the whole plant can be bitter (Eat The Weeds). Sacred lotus, an Asian lotus with pink or whitish flowers, has edible rhizomes too (NC State; Virginia plant atlas).

Safety

Cook the roots: CDC says people most often catch the liver fluke Fasciola by eating raw watercress or other freshwater plants contaminated with its larvae. Eat The Weeds says lotus root can be eaten raw but that the whole plant can be bitter and is far better cooked. No toxic part is reported: NC State lists the tubers, leaves and seeds of American lotus as edible and gives no poison warning, and sacred lotus rhizomes are used in cooking (NC State). Lotus can take up heavy metals: a study of sacred lotus from an old tin-mining pond measured lead and chromium in the rhizome as well as the seeds, and found lead above the Codex Alimentarius food limits (Food Science and Technology Research), so dig only where you know the water and mud are clean. Mississippi State Extension recommends herbicides such as 2,4-D for controlling American lotus where it takes over ponds, so avoid stands that may have been sprayed. Harmless lookalike: water lilies, which NC State says are eaten in moderation in some parts of the world, grow in mixed stands with lotus (Mississippi State); find the lotus by its round, unnotched leaves with the stalk at the center before the leaves die back (Eat The Weeds; Mississippi State).

Lookalikes

Water lilies Nymphaea spp. harmless (may be edible)
Water lilies grow in mixed stands with American lotus (Mississippi State). Lotus leaves are round and not split, with the stalk attached at the middle of the leaf, and many are held above the water; Eat The Weeds contrasts this with many water lilies, and Mississippi State points to the lotus leaf’s central stalk and lack of a notch. The lotus seed head is unmistakable (Mississippi State). NC State says water lily leaves and flowers are eaten in moderation in some parts of the world, so a mix-up is not known to be dangerous.
- American Lotus: Worth Getting Wet For (Green Deane) Eat The Weeds
- American Lotus, Nelumbo lutea (Southeastern Aquatic Plants, Publication 3735-16) Mississippi State University Extension
- Nymphaea (Water Lily) NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox

Safety flags

Contamination
Lotus can accumulate heavy metals: a study of sacred lotus grown in an old tin-mining pond measured lead and chromium in the seeds, stem and rhizome and found lead above the Codex Alimentarius food limits (Food Science and Technology Research, 2012). Dig only where you know the water and mud are clean.
- Antioxidant Properties and Heavy Metal Content of Lotus Plant (Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn) Grown in Ex-tin Mining Pond near Kampar, Malaysia (Food Science and Technology Research 18(3), 2012) Japanese Society for Food Science and Technology (J-STAGE)
Cook first
CDC says people most often catch the liver fluke Fasciola by eating raw watercress or other freshwater plants contaminated with its larvae, so cook the roots; Eat The Weeds also says lotus is far better cooked.
- About Liver Flukes Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- American Lotus: Worth Getting Wet For (Green Deane) Eat The Weeds
Spray risk
Not roadside or lawn spraying, but weed control in ponds: Mississippi State Extension calls American lotus highly invasive in shallow ponds and recommends herbicides (2,4-D, diquat or triclopyr) to control it.
- American Lotus, Nelumbo lutea (Southeastern Aquatic Plants, Publication 3735-16) Mississippi State University Extension

Safety marks and flags: what this means

ID risk: Beginner
Why: No toxic lookalike is named. Water lilies, which NC State says are eaten in moderation in some parts of the world, grow with lotus, but lotus leaves are round and not split, with the stalk attached at the middle, and the lotus seed head is unmistakable (Eat The Weeds; Mississippi State).
Soil risk: higher

ID risk: what this means

Soil risk: what this means

Based on the part you eat, following the urban-soil lead guidance on the Field safety page: higher for greens, shoots and roots; moderate for flowers; low for fruit, nuts and sap.

Field safety for every outing (poison ivy, ticks, soil, and more)

When to pick

Starts: early Oct
Peak: late Oct–late Nov
Ends: mid Dec

Eat The Weeds says lotus roots can be dug year round but are best in the fall, and the National Park Service says that in many cultures the rhizomes are harvested for food when the plant loses its leaves. Around DC lotus is logged from May to October (iNaturalist), so find and mark a stand while its leaves still show. No source gives dates for the DC area, so all three boundaries are estimates.

How the dates were worked out

Every start, peak and end was re-checked in October 2026. “Sourced” means a source opened during the check states that timing for the DC or Mid-Atlantic area. “Estimated” means no source states it exactly; the reason, the evidence and the source links are under “How the dates were worked out” on each plant’s page. Peaks are often estimated, because few sources name a peak. iNaturalist evidence means research-grade sightings near DC, by month, of the plant at that stage (for example, in fruit). iNaturalist is a website and phone app where people post photos of the plants and animals they see. A sighting is “research grade” when other users have confirmed what it is; “needs ID” sightings are not confirmed yet, and “cultivated” ones are marked as planted.

Season basis: estimated: start, peak, end

Start

estimated: No source dates the dig around DC; early October is when the plants begin to die back here (last sightings in October), the start of the fall harvest both sources describe.

Peak

estimated: No source names a best month; late October to late November is fall after the leaves die back, when Eat The Weeds says the roots are best.

End

estimated: Eat The Weeds allows digging year round; mid December closes the fall season it calls best, before the cold water and mud make digging impractical. No DC-area source gives an end.

Evidence

start: National Park Service (Kenilworth): 'In many cultures when the plant loses its leaves, the rhizomes are harvested for food.' Eat The Weeds: 'Roots year round though best in autumn'. iNaturalist research-grade sightings within 25 km: Sep 3, Oct 3, Nov 0. | peak: Eat The Weeds: 'The roots can be buried deep and are best in the fall.' National Park Service: rhizomes are harvested 'when the plant loses its leaves'. | end: Eat The Weeds: 'Roots year round though best in autumn'.

Where to look

Still, shallow ponds and lake edges. Most lotus around DC is planted at Kenilworth Park & Aquatic Gardens, where digging is not allowed. Lotus growing on its own is logged most at Lake Redington in Patuxent Research Refuge, a federal research refuge whose picking rules were not checked; no listed park allows digging roots. Dig only in private ponds with the owner’s permission; Virginia lists American lotus on its watchlist of uncommon plants.

Habitats: wetlands, marshes & pond edges

Habitats: what this means

Listed where the plant’s own sources place it in that habitat. “Disturbed ground & waste places” means a cited source places it on disturbed areas, sites, soil or ground, on waste places or waste ground, on construction or abandoned building sites (old home sites count), on rubble or in strip mines. When the source gives examples of the disturbed places, at least one example must be of that kind. Examples that do not count: natural or forestry disturbance (treefall gaps, fire, windthrow, flood scour, old riverbanks and creeks, clear-cuts); roadsides, railroads and rights-of-way; and abandoned fields, pastures and farmland, which are “Old fields & meadows”. “Vacant lots” only where a source says vacant or empty lots.

Most-logged places

None of the most-logged places allows picking.

Ask first: rules unclear or not checked

Patuxent Research Refuge
11 sightings · Legal to pick: unknown · see them on iNaturalist
Picking rules not checked. A federal facility, so ask before picking anything.

Most-logged places: what this means

The places with the most research-grade iNaturalist sightings within 25 km of downtown DC (re-counted in October 2026 over every named place, campuses, condominiums and private grounds included), each marked legal to pick or not. A sighting inside several named places counts once, for the smallest of them, but a sighting inside a National Park Service park never counts for a private, campus or unchecked place. iNaturalist shows where people walk and log plants, not true abundance. Private campuses, condominiums, museums, estates and utility land (Pepco’s power-line land near Sligo Creek) are marked “no” (pick only with the owner’s permission); public university campuses, city parks and other places whose picking rules were not checked (county stormwater land, the U.S. Capitol Grounds, Greenbelt’s North Woods, federal facilities such as the National Zoo) are “unknown”. A place needs at least 2 sightings, so plants with very few sightings have no places. At-risk plants (butternut, nannyberry, American chestnut, ramps, riverbank goldenrod) get places like every other plant; each page says why the plant is at risk and gives any advice its sources give. For some places, mostly Rock Creek Park, the iNaturalist map shows more sightings than the count here, because a map link cannot leave out exactly the sightings credited to another place. iNaturalist is a website and phone app where people post photos of the plants and animals they see. A sighting is “research grade” when other users have confirmed what it is; “needs ID” sightings are not confirmed yet, and “cultivated” ones are marked as planted.

Where you may pick

Virginia’s Division of Natural Heritage lists American lotus (state rank S3) on its watchlist of plants that are decidedly uncommon in Virginia but not scarce enough for its rare plant list. It is not on Maryland’s rare plant list. On National Park Service land around DC (Rock Creek Park and other NPS units) gathering leaves, flowers, roots or other non-fruit plant parts is prohibited, because 36 CFR 2.1(c) lets a park designate only fruits, berries and nuts; Rock Creek’s compendium also bars gathering fruits, nuts, berries, seeds, mushrooms or cut greenery. Get permission before picking in county or regional parks or on private land.

(no listed park)
Allowed: no
No park we checked allows it. Anywhere else, ask whoever owns or runs the land.

Where you may pick: what this means

For each park system: “yes” where its current rules (the park’s compendium or regulation) allow this plant or part, with the limit; “ambiguous” where the wording may or may not cover it, so ask the park; “no” where it is not allowed. Rock Creek Park, the GW Parkway sites (including Great Falls VA and Theodore Roosevelt Island), the National Mall, Montgomery and Prince George’s parks, Maryland state parks, and Fairfax and Arlington parks prohibit picking. Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts allows blackberries and raspberries (one gallon per person per day) and chestnuts (one gallon per person per day). National Park Service rules are reissued every year; other parks change theirs from time to time, so check the park’s current rules. The Where you may pick page has every park’s rules.

Every park’s rules

Ways to use it

baked like sweet potatoes (Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center)
sliced and stir-fried, or stuffed (Eat The Weeds)
starchy roots in soups (Eat The Weeds)
soak cut slices in changes of water until it runs clear, which also reduces bitterness (Eat The Weeds)
storage: the cut root darkens quickly, so drop peeled pieces into water with lemon juice (Eat The Weeds)
harvest in fall, when the plant loses its leaves (National Park Service)

Keeping

Keep cold and moist in a perforated bag and use within a few weeks; cut pieces darken quickly.

Use within: weeks
Keeps fresh: Weeks in cold, moist storage (general guidance for root crops). University of Minnesota: root crops want cold, moist storage (32-40°F, about 95% humidity); perforated plastic bags in the fridge give this for a moderate time. Once cut, the root darkens quickly, so drop peeled pieces into water with lemon juice (Eat The Weeds).
Keeping basis: general guidance for its type

Ways to keep it

Store whole as researched: root cellar; canning: n/a (not shelf-canned)
University of Minnesota: root crops want cold, moist storage (32-40°F, about 95% humidity); perforated plastic bags in the fridge give this for a moderate time. No lotus-specific storage advice was found (general guidance for root crops).

Canning: what this means

Shelf-stable canning, three levels. Lab-tested: a lab-tested recipe from the National Center for Home Food Preservation (NCHFP) or Oregon State covers this fruit and product, or a generic recipe for its kind (the line says so, for example chokeberry). Extension recipe: a published Extension recipe (University of Alaska Fairbanks, written for Alaska species; University of Maine’s dandelion jelly), or a process that is safe only with a pH meter; follow it exactly, never improvise. No tested recipe: refrigerate or freeze, don’t can. “Hot-bottled syrup” = maple and walnut syrup, which keep when bottled hot at full syrup density. The Canning line names the exact product each source covers, for example “whole berries” or “juice”; a product not named there (such as juice from a berry with only a whole-berry recipe) has no tested recipe.

Keeping basis: what this means

“Specific to this plant” or “general guidance for its type” (for example NCHFP guidance for leafy greens applied to a wild green).

Nutrition

Not researched: in October 2026, only the calendar’s plants of the month and chicory leaves were researched.

Native or not

American lotus is native (USDA PLANTS); sacred lotus is introduced (USDA PLANTS) and is planted in water gardens, with escapes in scattered places in the southeastern U.S. that may become invasive (Virginia plant atlas). Neither is on the Virginia DCR, MDA or MISC invasive lists.

Origin: mixed
Native range: N. lutea: southeastern Canada to Mexico, the Greater Antilles and Colombia (NC State); N. nucifera: Asia (Iran to China, Japan, New Guinea) and Australia (NC State)
Virginia invasive rank: not listed
Maryland invasive status: not listed

Native or not, and the invader stars: what this means

Virginia DCR, Virginia Invasive Plant Species List (effective September 2024), verbatim: "Under the DCR Invasive Species Assessment Protocol, approved by the Virginia Invasive Species Working Group, January 2024, species were ranked as exhibiting high, medium or low levels of invasiveness based on their threat to natural communities and native species. Invasiveness rank is higher for species that: • Alter ecosystem processes, such as succession, hydrology or fire regime. • Are capable of invading undisturbed natural communities. • Cause substantial impacts on rare or vulnerable species or natural communities or high-quality examples of more common communities. • Are found widely distributed and generally abundant where present. • Disperse readily to new areas. • Are difficult to control." The list also states: "The list is for educational purposes only and has no regulatory authority."

Maryland Department of Agriculture, Maryland Prohibited Invasive Plant Law and Regulations page, verbatim: "Plants on the Maryland Prohibited Invasive Plant List may not be added to stock after the effective date and should not be sold after their phase-out period ends."

No official DC invasive plant list was found.

How the ratings were set

Find: Common in the right habitat Estimate 742 = 24 research-grade iNaturalist sightings within 25 km + 13 needs-ID sightings counted in full (the harvest is the whole genus) + 705 'cultivated' (planted) sightings (rule A); that is tier 2 by count (rule B). Of the 24 research-grade sightings, 18 are American lotus and 6 are escaped sacred lotus (N. nucifera); the 'cultivated' records are planted lotus, 456 of them in the water gardens at Kenilworth Park & Aquatic Gardens. Rule D does not apply: the Virginia Division of Natural Heritage puts American lotus on its watchlist of taxa that are "decidedly uncommon in Virginia but are not scarce enough to merit inclusion on the Rare Vascular Plant List", and the Digital Atlas of the Virginia Flora calls it "Infrequent and local in the Coastal Plain, Piedmont, and n. mountains"; neither calls it rare or very infrequent. Final tier 2.
Effort: Real work Dig the rootstock out of deep mud under a lotus stand, which is real work, then peel and slice it, soak the slices in changes of water, and stir-fry or bake it.

Find: what this means

Effort: what this means

Sources

26 sources, each linked to the original.

List of Rare, Threatened, and Endangered Plants of Maryland (March 2026) Maryland DNR Wildlife and Heritage Service, Natural Heritage ProgramBacks up: picking rules
Rock Creek Park Superintendent’s Compendium National Park ServiceBacks up: picking rules
36 CFR 2.1 - Preservation of natural, cultural and archeological resources Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School (text of federal regulation)Backs up: picking rules
Natural Heritage Resources of Virginia: Rare Plants (September 2026) Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of Natural HeritageBacks up: picking rules, findability
Nelumbo lutea (American Lotus, American Lotus-lily, Nelumbo, Yonkapin) NC State Extension Gardener Plant ToolboxBacks up: description, habitat, safety, native or invasive status
Nelumbo nucifera (Sacred Lotus) NC State Extension Gardener Plant ToolboxBacks up: description, safety, native or invasive status
American Lotus: Worth Getting Wet For (Green Deane) Eat The WeedsBacks up: description, uses, safety, season, storage, habitat, keeping
Annotated Checklist of the Vascular Plants of the Washington-Baltimore Area, Part I (Shetler & Orli, 2000) Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History, Department of BotanyBacks up: habitat
Nelumbo nucifera (Sacred Lotus) (Digital Atlas of the Virginia Flora) Virginia Botanical Associates (Digital Atlas of the Virginia Flora)Backs up: habitat, description, native or invasive status
Nelumbo lutea (American Lotus) (Digital Atlas of the Virginia Flora) Virginia Botanical Associates (Digital Atlas of the Virginia Flora)Backs up: habitat, findability
Lotus (Kenilworth Park & Aquatic Gardens) National Park ServiceBacks up: habitat, season, description, uses
iNaturalist research-grade observations of Nelumbo (lotus) within 25 km of downtown DC iNaturalistBacks up: habitat, findability
Harvesting and storing home garden vegetables University of Minnesota ExtensionBacks up: keeping
USDA PLANTS Database: Nelumbo lutea (NELU), native status USDA NRCSBacks up: native or invasive status
USDA PLANTS Database: Nelumbo nucifera (NENU2), native status USDA NRCSBacks up: native or invasive status
Virginia Invasive Plant Species List (effective date: September 2024) Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of Natural HeritageBacks up: native or invasive status
Maryland Prohibited Invasive Plant Law and Regulations (Maryland Prohibited Invasive Plant List, updated January 2026; additions effective July 15, 2026; 'Next Plants To Be Assessed' 2026-2027) Maryland Department of Agriculture, Plant Protection & Weed ManagementBacks up: native or invasive status
Non-Native Invasive Terrestrial Plant Species in the State of Maryland (updates approved through the April 18, 2024 MISC meeting) Maryland Invasive Species CouncilBacks up: native or invasive status
Plant Invaders of Mid-Atlantic Natural Areas, Field Guide (Swearingen & Fulton, 2022; successor to the NPS/USFWS 5th ed., 2017) Mid-Atlantic Invasive Plant Council / Passiflora Press (hosted by Bugwood/Mid-Atlantic Invaders Tool)Backs up: native or invasive status
Invasive Plants in the District DC Department of Energy & EnvironmentBacks up: native or invasive status
American Lotus, Nelumbo lutea (Southeastern Aquatic Plants, Publication 3735-16) Mississippi State University ExtensionBacks up: safety, description
About Liver Flukes Centers for Disease Control and PreventionBacks up: safety, effort & ID risk
Nymphaea (Water Lily) NC State Extension Gardener Plant ToolboxBacks up: safety, safety details
Antioxidant Properties and Heavy Metal Content of Lotus Plant (Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn) Grown in Ex-tin Mining Pond near Kampar, Malaysia (Food Science and Technology Research 18(3), 2012) Japanese Society for Food Science and Technology (J-STAGE)Backs up: safety, safety details
iNaturalist research-grade observations of Nelumbo (lotus) within 25 km of Washington, DC, by month (all, flowering, fruiting; and fruiting and flowering at any quality grade, planted included) iNaturalistBacks up: season
Nelumbo lutea (American Lotus, Yellow Water Lotus, Yellow Lotus) Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower CenterBacks up: uses