Nelumbo nucifera

Nelumbo nucifera
Lotus flower
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Order:	Proteales
Family:	Nelumbonaceae
Genus:	Nelumbo
Species:	N. nucifera
Binomial name
Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn.
Synonyms
Nelumbium speciosum Willd. Nelumbo komarovii Grossh. Nymphaea nelumbo

Nelumbo nucifera, also known as sacred lotus, Indian lotus,^[1] or simply lotus, is one of two extant species of aquatic plant in the family Nelumbonaceae. It is sometimes colloquially called a water lily, though this more often refers to members of the family Nymphaeaceae.^[2] The lotus belongs in the order Proteales.

Lotus plants are adapted to grow in the flood plains of slow-moving rivers and delta areas. Stands of lotus drop hundreds of thousands of seeds every year to the bottom of the pond. While some sprout immediately and most are eaten by wildlife, the remaining seeds can remain dormant for an extensive period of time as the pond silts in and dries out. During flood conditions, sediments containing these seeds are broken open, and the dormant seeds rehydrate and begin a new lotus colony. It is cultivated in nutrient-rich, loamy, and often flooded soils, requiring warm temperatures and specific planting depths, with propagation via rhizomes, seeds, or tissue culture, and is harvested by hand or machine for stolons, flowers, seeds, and rhizomes over several months depending on climate and variety.

It has large leaves and flowers that can regulate their temperature, produces long-living seeds, and contains bioactive alkaloids. Under favorable circumstances, the seeds of this aquatic perennial may remain viable for many years, with the oldest recorded lotus germination being from seeds 1,300 years old recovered from a dry lakebed in northeastern China.^[3] Therefore, the Chinese regard the plant as a symbol of longevity.

It has a very wide native distribution, ranging from central and northern India (at altitudes up to 1,400 m or 4,600 ft in the southern Himalayas^[4]), through northern Indochina and East Asia (north to the Amur region; the Russian populations have sometimes been referred to as Nelumbo komarovii, with isolated locations at the Caspian Sea.^[5] Today, the species also occurs in southern India, Sri Lanka, virtually all of Southeast Asia, New Guinea, and northern and eastern Australia, but this is probably the result of human translocations.^[5] It has a very long history (c. 3,000 years) of being cultivated for its edible seeds^[5] and is commonly cultivated in water gardens.^[4] It is the national flower of India and unofficially Vietnam. It is a highly symbolic and versatile plant used in religious offerings (especially in Hinduism and Buddhism) and diverse culinary traditions across Asia, with its flowers, seeds, and rhizomes valued for spiritual, cultural, and nutritional purposes. It holds deep cultural, spiritual, and religious significance across Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Ismailism, and Chinese culture, symbolizing purity, enlightenment, spiritual awakening, and divine beauty, and is widely depicted in art, architecture, and literature.

The leaves of Nelumbo nucifera contain the flavonol miquelianin and alkaloids such as coclaurine and norcoclaurine, while the plant as a whole contains bioactive compounds including nuciferine and neferine. These constituents have been studied for their potential pharmacological effects, and the plant is used in traditional medicine and marketed as a functional food in various cultures.