## 5 Conclusions  
To our knowledge, this is the first study reporting the presence of floral volatile components in combination with the observation of the microscopic structure of petals at different flowering stages and the detection of VOCs in the different floral organs of \(N\). 'Eldorado', a valuable water lily. We found that the volatile component emissions from flowers varied among the different flowering stages and different floral organs of \(N\). 'Eldorado'. A total of 60 volatile components at different flowering stages and 70 VOCs were detected in the different floral organs of these plants and were identified and quantified via HS-SPME/GC-MS. The morphology and quantity of the epidermal prominens, intracellular plastids, and matrix particles of \(N\). 'Eldorado' were closely related to the formation of the floral fragrance. The floral scent components of this water lily are dominated by high levels of alkenes, alcohols, and alkanes. Moreover, further studies are needed to understand the chemical origin of the morphological characteristics to reveal the dissimilarities of the primary and secondary metabolites of these plants. Our results can lead to the investigation of the floral scents of \(N\). 'Eldorado', which are highly important for the future development and utilization of this water lily as an excellent aromatic plant for the cosmetic, food, and landscaping industries.  
**Supplementary Materials:** The following supporting information can be downloaded at: [[https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/plants13070939/s1](https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/plants13070939/s1)]([https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/plants13070939/s1](https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/plants13070939/s1)), Figure S1: The GC-MS total ion chromatograms (TICs) for the volatile chemical profiles of \(N\). 'Eldorado' at different flowering stages; Figure S2: The GC-MS total ion chromatograms (TICs) for the volatile chemical profiles of different parts of the \(N\). 'Eldorado' flower.  
**Author Contributions:** Conceptualization, Q.Z. and Z.Z.; Data curation, F.Z. and M.S.; Formal analysis, Q.Z.; Funding acquisition, Z.Z.; Investigation, F.Z., M.S. and H.Z.; Methodology, Q.Z., F.Z., M.S., H.Z. and Z.Z.; Project administration, Q.Z. and Z.Z.; Resources, H.Z.; Software, F.Z. and M.S.; Supervision, Z.Z.; Writing--original draft, Q.Z.; Writing--review & editing, Q.Z. and Z.Z. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.  
**Funding:** This research was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (317/0752), Natural Science Foundation for Universities of Jiangsu Province (20 KJB20006), Philosophy and Social Science Researches Foundation for Universities of Jiangsu Province (2023 SJYB0781) and Project of the 13 th Five-Year Plan of Jiangsu Open University (2020-D-01).  
**Data Availability Statement:** Data are contained within the article.  
**Acknowledgments:** We would like to thank [PERSON], a laboratory specialist at the Advanced Analysis Testing Center (AATC), Nanjing Forestry University, China, for assistance with the observations of the microstructures of the flower petals. We express our gratitude to [PERSON], a laboratory master at AATC, Nanjing Forestry University, China, for her help with the detection of volatile compounds.  
**Conflicts of Interest:** The authors declare no conflicts of interest.