Volatile organic compounds in the stamens, petals, and pistils of 56 water lily cultivars were determined by headspace solid-phase microextraction coupled with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. The stamens released a majority of the volatiles. A total of 117 volatile organic compounds were determined. Alkanes and alkenes were the most abundant, followed by aldehydes and ketones. Cluster analysis was used to divide the cultivars into three subsets characterized by specific aromatic compounds and associated aromas. Discriminant analysis confirmed the results of the cluster analysis. Three tropical water lily cultivars Colorata, 34, and Ai Ji Bai and one hardy water lily cultivar Somptuosa had particularly high aromatic compound concentrations and are recommended to produce fragrant, colorful, and hardy specimens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]