Edible aquatic plants

• Aquatic mint (Mentha aquatica)- leaves; raw or dried; very hardy
• Arrowhead (Sagittaria latifolia) - tubers; cooked; very hardy; also called duckpotato (tubers taste like Irish potatoes); lower flowers are female while upper flowers are male; waterfowl love to eat duckpotato, hence the name
• Bacopa (Bacopa caroliniana) - lemony leaves; used as a seasoning; also called water hyssop; Zones 7 or higher
• Bog cranberries - fruit; raw
• Cattail (Typha spp.) - all parts (spring shoots and pollen mostly); many uses; very hardy
• Chameleon Plant (Houttuynia cordata) - leaves; use like cilantro.
• Duckweed (Lemna minor) - leaves; raw; garnish on salads; hardy.
• Flowering rush (Butomus umbellatus) - tubers and seeds
   
• Lemon grass (Cymbopogon citratus) - leaves, tuber; many uses raw and cooked; does not like to be submerged; can buy fresh at Asian markets; Zones 8 or higher
• Lotus - tubers and seeds; raw or cooked; many uses
• Marsh mallow - roots, flowers, leaves; raw or cooked; medicinal uses such as cough suppressant, immune system booster, and wound healer
• Pennywort (Hydrocotyle spp.)- leaves; raw; medicinal for many purposes such as arthritis
• Perennial rice (Zizania spp.) - all parts; cooked like rice
• Pickerel rush/weed (Pontederia cordata) - young leaves and seeds; raw or cooked
• Sensitive plant (Neptunia aquatica and other Neptunia spp.) - shoots; used in stir fry; also called water mimosa; only survives in Zone 9 or higher
   
• Spatterdock (Nuphar luteum) - leaves, seeds, and flowers; raw or cooked; garnishes and salads; hardy.
• Sweetflag (Acorus calamus) - rhizomes and young leaves; raw or cooked; many uses; very hardy
• Taro (Colocasia spp.) - tubers; boiled, steamed, baked, or fried
• Vietnamese cilantro (Polygonum odoratum) - leaves; raw or cooked; may be sold at places that sell herbs; Zone 8 or higher
• Water celery (Oenanthe javanica) - all parts; raw or cooked; salads, garnishes, etc.; very hardy; see extensive section above
• Water chestnuts (Eleoricharis spp.) - seeds; raw or cooked; used as nuts or made into flour; can buy fresh water chestnuts at Asian stores and plant those
• Water spinach (Ipomoea batatus) - leaves; cooked or raw; can buy fresh at Asian markets and root in water; only survives in Zone 10 or higher
• Watercress (Nasturtium officinale) - all parts; raw or cooked; salads, garnishes, etc.; very hardy; see extensive section above

 One aquatic plant you do NOT want to eat is arrow arum (Peltandra viginica) as it is poisonous.