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East Indian lotus

Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn.
East Indian lotus
Photo: Wikimedia Commons (CC-BY-SA-4.0)

Nelumbo nucifera, commonly known as East Indian lotus, is an aquatic plant in the family Nelumbonaceae. It is one of two extant species in the genus Nelumbo and is also referred to as Padma or Kamala. The plant is native to regions including Ontario, Australasian, Oriental (Indomalaya), Palaearctic, and various European and Asian countries. It was first described in 1788 by Gaertn.

Description

Nelumbo nucifera is often called the sacred lotus or pink lotus and is sometimes mistakenly referred to as a water lily, though it is distinct from the Nymphaeaceae family. The species is part of the order Proteales. It is widely distributed across multiple continents, including parts of Europe, Asia, and North America. The plant is notable for its cultural and ecological significance in its native habitats.

Other common names

Sacred lotusEast Indian lotusOriental lotuslotuslotusrootIndian lotus

Distribution

Ontario · Australasian · Oriental (Indomalaya) · Palaearctic · TW · CK · Belgium · France · The Netherlands · Great Britain · IT · SR · Hungary · Italy · Romania · RO · ID · MY · GY · BR · CA · conterminous 48 United States · Alabama · Amur · Arkansas · Assam · Bangladesh · Benin · Cambodia · China North-Central

Synonyms

Nymphaea nelumboNelumbium javanicumNelumbium indicumNelumbium discolorNelumbium caspiumNelumbium caspicumNelumbium asiaticumNelumbium albumNelumbium transversumNelumbo nelumboNelumbo komaroviiNelumbo indicaNelumbo caspicaNelumbium marginatumNelumbium turbinatumNelumbium nelumboNelumbium tamaraNelumbium speciosumNelumbium rheedeiNelumbium venosumNelumbo speciosa var. albaTamara rubraTamara albaTamara hemisphaericaNelumbo speciosaNelumbo caspicaNelumbo nucifera var. macrorhizomataNelumbo speciosa var. caspicaNelumbo speciosa var. tamaraNelumbo caspica

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