List of plants known as lotus
Appearance
Lotus identifies various plant taxa:
- Nelumbo, a genus of aquatic plants with showy flowers
- Nelumbo nucifera, the Sacred or Indian lotus
- Nelumbo lutea, the American or Yellow lotus
- Certain species of Nymphaea (water lilies or Egyptian lotuses):
- Nymphaea caerulea, also known as blue lotus
- Nymphaea lotus, white lotus or sacred lotus
- Nymphaea nouchali, also known as star lotus
- Lotus (genus) (including bird's-foot trefoils and deervetches), a terrestrial genus with small flowers
- Saussurea (snow lotus), a herbaceous species from the Himalayan vicinity
- Ziziphus lotus, a shrub species with edible fruit
- Date-plum or Caucasian persimmon, a tree with edible fruit
Art and religion
"Sacred lotus" may refer to three species with religious significance that are often depicted in art:
- Nelumbo nucifera - in Buddhism, Hinduism and other Indian religions, and generally in Asia in and to the east of India. Padma (attribute) covers it in Indian religions.
- Nymphaea caerulea - the "blue lotus" in Ancient Egyptian religion
- Nymphaea lotus - the "white lotus" in Ancient Egyptian religion. The two Egyptian species are often interchangeable.
See also
- Lotus tree, the mythological incarnation of Lotis
- Lotus (disambiguation)