bosnay03 Lotus (Nelumbo) - amphibious herbaceous perennial.  The stems of the lotus, which turned into a powerful thick rhizome, immersed in the underwater soil. Some underwater leaves, scaly, others - surface, floating or lifted high above the water. Leaves floating - on long flexible petioles, flat and circular in shape. Leaves are rising - on erect stalks, they are larger, have a funnel shape with a diameter of 50-70 cm. The flowers are large, up to 30 cm in diameter, with numerous pink or white petals, they rise high above the water on the straight stalks. The flowers have a gentle but pleasant aroma. Many centuries worshiped the lotus in the East, he has held a place of honor in religious ceremonies, traditions and legends, evidenced by numerous monuments of literature, art and architecture. On the globe grows two types of lotus: nucifera L., or Indian (Nelumbo nucifera), inhabitant of the Old World - widely known aquatic plant. The boundary of its range in the north runs along the Amur River basin, and in the south it descends to the tropics of northern Australia. The second type - L. yellow, or American (N. lutea) is common in the New World.