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Photo: David J. Stang, via Wikimedia CommonsLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0

Chinese water chestnut

Eleocharis dulcis

Family: Cyperaceae

Pet & Human Safety

People: Not researchedPets: Not on the ASPCA lists as we read them
Human edibility
Not yet checked.
Edible parts
Not yet checked.
Hazardous parts
Not yet checked.
Preparation
Not yet checked.
Hazard type
Not yet checked.
Hazard route
Not yet checked.
How complete this information is
The safety information on this page is partial. Where a source covers a point, it is shown; where none does, the page says so.
Toxic to pets
No ASPCA entry found.

No ASPCA page was found, so there is no pet verdict from them. This is not a statement that the plant is safe. The common name covers more than one plant; no page was found for either.

Look-alike warning
Could be mistaken for Plants that share its name. To tell them apart: The common name "water chestnut" is also used for Trapa natans (water caltrop), a different plant. Nothing sourced here applies to Trapa..

Poison control

If someone has collapsed, cannot be woken, is having a seizure or has trouble breathing, call 911 now. For any other possible poisoning, call Poison Help: 1-800-222-1222.

Emergency number source: U.S. federal law (47 U.S.C. § 251(e)(3)), read 2026-10-07.

Naturalist Lore

Historical Background & Breeding Lore

The history of this plant and its name, and how it was bred, where we have them.

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Care

Hardiness zones

Not checked yet

Mature size

No source found yet.

Soil & Drainage
Pruning & Flush Rhythm
Feeding Schedule

How to prepare the soil, when and what to feed, and how and when to prune where that applies.

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Anatomy & Guilds

Botanical Anatomy & Characteristics

How the flowers and leaves are built and which pollinators visit, where we have them.

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Field Doctor

Field Doctor

What can go wrong with this plant and what to do about it, where we have them.

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Vintage Plates

Vintage Plates

Old botanical drawings from public libraries are in the app, for plants where we have them.

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Sources

  1. Kew World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP) name file, dated 2026-06-04
  2. ABC Gardening Australia, Vegie Guide Zones
  3. NC State Plant Toolbox /eleocharis-dulcis/ (no page text found)
  4. NC State Plant Toolbox /trapa-natans/
  5. UF/IFAS Plant Directory /eleocharis-dulcis/ and /trapa-natans/
  6. ASPCA page name /water-chestnut (no plant page found)

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