The Lotus or waterlily is an aquatic plant of Nymphaea family with broad floating leaves and bright fragrant flowers that waters.

The leaves and flowers float and have long stems that contain air spaces.

The big attractive flowers have many petals overlapping in a symmetrical pattern.

The root functions are carried out by rhizomes that fan out horizontally through the mud below the water.

Lotuses, prized for their serene beauty, are delightful to behold as their blossoms open on the surface of a pond.

In India the sacred lotus is legendary and much folklore and religious mythology is woven around it.