Sunlight for Sacred Lotus?

Full sun. Requires 6+ hours of direct sun for reliable flowering. Shaded specimens produce vigorous foliage but few or no blooms.

Water for Sacred Lotus?

Aquatic, 30–60 cm depth. Plant in heavy clay loam in 30–60 cm of still freshwater. Water depth should never expose the rhizome; deeper water suppresses dwarf cultivars.

Soil for Sacred Lotus?

Heavy clay pond mud. Anchors in nutrient-rich heavy clay; sandy or organic-only substrates fail to hold the rhizome. pH 6.0–7.5.

Temperature for Sacred Lotus?

23–30 °C optimal. Warm-water species; foliage dies back below 15 °C and rhizomes overwinter dormant in mud. Tolerates ice cover if rhizome is below freezing depth.

What is Sacred Lotus used for medicinally?

Seeds (kamal beej) used in Ayurveda as cardiac and digestive tonic; Leaf decoctions for diarrhoea and bleeding disorders; Stamens used in traditional Chinese medicine for haemorrhage

What does the scientific name Nelumbo nucifera mean?

Nelumbo: Latinised from the Sinhala name for the plant, recorded by colonial botanists. nucifera: Means 'nut-bearing', referring to the hard nut-like seeds embedded in the receptacle.

Plant of the day

Nelumbo nucifera

Sacred LotusAquatic

Nelumbo nucifera is an aquatic rhizomatous perennial bearing iconic emergent leaves and large pink-white flowers; the sacred lotus is the national flower of India and Vietnam, deeply embedded in Hindu and Buddhist iconography.

FamilyNelumbonaceae

GenusNelumbo

NativeIndian Subcontinent

LifespanPerennial; rhizomes persist decades, seeds viable >1,000 years

Classification

KingdomPlantae

CladeTracheophytes

CladeAngiosperms

ClassMagnoliopsida

OrderProteales

FamilyNelumbonaceae

GenusNelumbo

SpeciesN. nucifera

Binomial NameNelumbo nucifera

AuthorGaertn., 1788

Common NameSacred Lotus

Life FormAquatic

Growth HabitAquatic

Taxonomic Hierarchy

KingdomPlantae

CladeTracheophytes

CladeAngiosperms

ClassMagnoliopsida

OrderProteales

FamilyNelumbonaceae

GenusNelumbo

Taxonomic Notes

Hibiscus rosa-sinensis belongs to the family Malvaceae.
The genus Hibiscus includes over 200 species of shrubs, trees, and herbs.
This species is widely cultivated as an ornamental plant.

Nelumbo nucifera

Classification

Taxonomic Hierarchy

Taxonomic Notes

Same Genus

Same Family

Related Genera