Nelumbo
| Nelumbo | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Missing image Nelumbo_lutea_blossom.jpeg Nelumbo lutea | ||||||||||||
| Scientific classification | ||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||
| Species | ||||||||||||
|
Nelumbo lutea (American Lotus) |
Nelumbo is a genus of water flowers commonly known as lotus, the only genus in the family Nelumbonaceae, superficially similar to but unrelated to the water-lilies of the family Nymphaeaceae. Nelumbo is what is most commonly meant by the rather ambiguous term lotus, though as a scientific name, Lotus refers to a completely different, unrelated plant in the pea family.
The leaves of Nelumbo can be distinguished from those of genera in the Nymphaeaceae as they are peltate, that is they have fully circular leaves. Nymphaea, on the other hand, have a single characteristic notch from the edge in to the center of the lilypad. The central seed pod of Nelumbo is also diagnostic.
Nelumbo nucifera is particularly well known as it is the sacred flower of Hinduism and Buddhism and is the national flower of India. It is also used widely in Asian cooking.