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Trapa natans - L.

Water Chestnut

Author	L.	Botanical references	50, 200
Family	Trapaceae	Genus	Trapa
Synonyms
Known Hazards	The raw seed contains toxins but that these are destroyed in the cooking process[200, 206].
Range	Europe to W. Asia and N. Africa.
Habitat	Water up to 60cm deep.
Edibility Rating	4 (1-5)	Medicinal Rating	0 (1-5)

Physical Characteristics

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. The plant prefers acid and neutral soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It can grow in water.

Habitats

Pond;

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Seed.

Seed - raw, cooked or dried and ground into a powder[2, 3, 13, 34, 56, 63, 74, 100]. A sweet floury and agreeable flavour[27], similar to sweet chestnuts (Castanea spp)[183]. The seed contains up to 50% starch according to one report[46], 16% starch, 3% protein in another report[117] and 15% protein, 7.5% fat in a third[74]. (Are all these reports talking about the same thing?). One report says that the raw nut contains toxins that are destroyed by cooking the seed[200].

Medicinal Uses

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.

None known

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

A water plant, growing in water up to 60cm deep. Requires a sunny position in slightly acidic water[200]. Dislikes calcium rich water[50]. Prefers a rich soil[50, 56, 200]. Plants are hardy in all but the coldest parts of Britain[1]. A perennial, but it is best grown as an annual in Britain[3]. Some botanists regard this species as the only genuine member of the genus, all other species considered to be no more than a part of this one highly polymorphic species[200]. Occasionally cultivated for its edible seed, there is at least one named variety[1, 3, 13]. 'Su Zhou' is a form with red-coloured fruit[183].

Propagation

Seed - harvest in late summer and store overwinter in a jar of water in a cold but frost-free place. The seed quickly loses its vitality if it is allowed to become dry. Sow in spring, placing one seed in each pot and submerging them under a few centimetres of water.

Cultivars

'Su Zhou'

A form with red-coloured fruit[183].

Links

This plant is also mentioned in the following PFAF articles: The Edible Pond and Bog Garden.

References

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[2] Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972 ISBN 0-486-20459-6
Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.

[3] Simmons. A. E. Growing Unusual Fruit. David and Charles 1972 ISBN 0-7153-5531-7
A very readable book with information on about 100 species that can be grown in Britain (some in greenhouses) and details on how to grow and use them.

[13] Triska. Dr. Hamlyn Encyclopaedia of Plants. Hamlyn 1975 ISBN 0-600-33545-3
Very interesting reading, giving some details of plant uses and quite a lot of folk-lore.

[27] Vilmorin. A. The Vegetable Garden. Ten Speed Press 0 ISBN 0-89815-041-8
A reprint of a nineteenth century classic, giving details of vegetable varieties. Not really that informative though.

[34] Harrison. S. Wallis. M. Masefield. G. The Oxford Book of Food Plants. Oxford University Press 1975
Good drawings of some of the more common food plants from around the world. Not much information though.

[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.

[50] ? Flora Europaea Cambridge University Press 1964
An immense work in 6 volumes (including the index). The standard reference flora for europe, it is very terse though and with very little extra information. Not for the casual reader.

[56] Muhlberg. H. Complete Guide to Water Plants. E. P. Publishing Ltd. 1982 ISBN 0-7158-0789-7
Deals with a wide range of plants for temperate areas (and indoor aquaria) with quite a lot of information on cultivation techniques.

[63] Howes. F. N. Nuts. Faber 1948
Rather old but still a masterpiece. Has sections on tropical and temperate plants with edible nuts plus a section on nut plants in Britain. Very readable.

[74] Komarov. V. L. Flora of the USSR. Israel Program for Scientific Translation 1968
An immense (25 or more large volumes) and not yet completed translation of the Russian flora. Full of information on plant uses and habitats but heavy going for casual readers.

[100] Polunin. O. Flowers of Europe - A Field Guide. Oxford University Press 1969 ISBN 0192176218
An excellent and well illustrated pocket guide for those with very large pockets. Also gives some details on plant uses.

[117] Rosengarten. jnr. F. The Book of Edible Nuts. Walker & Co. 1984 ISBN 0802707699
A very readable and comprehensive guide. Well illustrated.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[206] Larkcom J. Oriental Vegetables John Murray 1991 ISBN 0-7195-4781-4
Well written and very informative.

Readers Comments

Plants for a Future does not verify the accuracy of reader comments, use at your own risk. In particular Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. You should always consult a professional before using plants medicinally.

Trapa natans

michele Sun Mar 4 2007

i would like to have the seeds of tis plant. how is it possible? thnaks michele micvite@tin.it

Trapa natans

Ken Fern, Plants for a Future. Mon Mar 5 2007

Unfortunately, the seeds of this plant need to be kept moist otherwise they quickly lose their viability. For this reason, there are no seed suppliers that I am aware of. There are a few nurseries that supply the plant - the only one I know of is in Britain, though it does mail order to all countries in the European Union. For details of this nursery visit the Plant Finder at http://www.rhs.org.uk/RHSPlantFinder/plantfinder.asp

Trapa natans

HK Tue Jan 29 2008

I am not sure about the criteria, but I really think you guys need somebody who is familiar with TCM, Kampo or whatever. Just because you guys don't know does not mean that a given species does not have any notable medicinal property or importance in indigenous medicine. I just keep encountering this over and over here.

Trapa natans

Keith Mon Aug 11 2008

Also can be highly opportunistic (ie. 'invasive')- http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080805/NEWS01/80804013

Burlington Free Press Article Article about efforts 'combating' water chestnut

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