Imagine a plant that bears huge leaves two yards/meters or more across. No wonder the common name of this plant includes the word “platter”! The leaves are certainly platter-like. Not only are they as round as your dinner plate, but the edges are also neatly upturned, just like the pan your mother uses to bake a pizza. A pan two yards across, all filled with a crispy crust, lots of pepperoni and cheese, and savory tomato sauce—that would feed a lot of your friends, wouldn’t it, Wondernose?
So far, however, I haven’t actually heard that people use these remarkable leaves for pizza-making. The plants are found in South America. Each one bears multiple leaves. You’re surprised to hear that, Wondernose? You thought maybe if the leaves are so big, there would be only one per plant.
This brings more questions. How ever would such huge leaves be supported? Wouldn’t they simply droop and fold up like umbrellas, thus concealing their platter-like shape?
Well, yes, they probably would, except for the fact that the leaves are supported. You see, these plants grow in the water—not in rushing rivers, of course, but in calm, still ponds. Far down in the mud, the roots take hold, while stems grow upward to produce not only “pizza pans,” but also showy white flowers. The blooms smell sweet and attract beetles to pollinate them. Then the flowers close, and the beetles are trapped inside. The blooms then produce pollen, which covers the beetles. The next evening when the flowers open again, the beetles fly away to pollinate other lily flowers. This time the flowers are purplish pink and have no smell.
Yes, Wondernose, our mystery plant is a kind of water lily. You are familiar with water lilies too—only a much smaller version. This South American variety is naturally named the giant water lily. And as I’ve mentioned, locally it’s often referred to as the “water platter.”
Once covered with a good crop of such platters, a pond can basically disappear from view! Lift up a platter to examine its underside, and you will see that this leaf is full of intricate air pockets. These, of course, serve to keep the leaf floating on the pond’s surface.
The leaves, flowers, and berry-like fruits provide food for fish and other wildlife. And you think these cushiony platters are also a good place for frogs to sit and croak. Well, maybe you are right!
