|
= The Lotus =
|
A perennial water plant native to the Asian tropics, Lotus belongs to the genus Nelumbo of the Water-lily family (Nymphaeaceae). Its creeping rootstock grows in muddy water and sends up long-stalked, shield-like circular leaves of about 50 centimeters in diameter above the water surface. Formerly thought to belong to the Pond Lily (Nenuphar) family, lotus is now a genus on its own and is classified into two species, the South Asian lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) and the American lotus (Nelumbo lutea), depending on the geographical distribution.
|
|
