What is the scientific name of the sacred lotus?

What is the scientific name of the sacred lotus? The answer is Nelumbo nucifera.

Nelumbo nucifera is the sacred lotus, also called the Indian lotus or pink lotus. It is an aquatic flowering plant in the family Nelumbonaceae and is native across large parts of Asia and northern Australia. Its round leaves and flowers rise above the water, unlike many water lilies whose leaves typically float on the surface.

The lotus has deep religious significance in Hinduism and Buddhism, where it commonly symbolizes purity, enlightenment, spiritual awakening, and divine beauty. Its flowers, seeds, and rhizomes are also used in food and cultural traditions across Asia. The epithet “nucifera” means “nut-bearing,” referring to the plant’s nut-like seeds.

A frequent mistake is to treat the sacred lotus as a water lily. True water lilies belong mainly to the family Nymphaeaceae, including the blue lotus, Nymphaea caerulea. Nelumbo nucifera is only one of two living Nelumbo species; the other is the American lotus, Nelumbo lutea. Modern classification places Nelumbo in the order Proteales.