Bitterroot Restoration

Order: Nymphaeales
Family: Nymphaeaceae
Common name: Makhna, Kantapadma (Beng.); fox nut, makhana, or gorgon plant (Eng.).
Life cycle: Annual
Native Range: It is native to eastern Asia, and is found from India to Korea and Japan, as well as parts of eastern Russia.

Euryale ferox is the only species in the genus Euryale. It is a flowering plant classified in the water lily family. It grows in water, producing bright purple flowers. Their leaves are large and round, often more than a meter (3 feet) across, with a leaf stalk attached in the center of the lower surface. The underside of the leaf is purplish, while the upper surface is green. Their leaves have a quilted texture, although the stems, flowers, and leaves which float on the surface are covered in sharp prickles.

The seeds are used in traditional Chinese medicine, where they are often cooked in soups along with other ingredients, and believed to strengthen male potency and retard aging.