Lotus flower
| Nelumbo nucifera | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| Order: | Proteales |
| Family: | Nelumbonaceae |
| Genus: | Nelumbo |
| Species: | N. nucifera |
| Binomial name | |
|
Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn. |
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| Synonyms | |
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| Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz) | |
|---|---|
| Energy | 278 kJ (66 kcal) |
|
16.02 g
|
|
| Sugars | 0.50 g |
| Dietary fiber | 3.1 g |
|
0.07 g
|
|
|
1.58 g
|
|
| Vitamins | |
| Thiamine (B1) |
(11%)
0.127 mg |
| Riboflavin (B2) |
(1%)
0.01 mg |
| Niacin (B3) |
(2%)
0.3 mg |
| Pantothenic acid (B5) |
(6%)
0.302 mg |
| Vitamin B6 |
(17%)
0.218 mg |
| Folate (B9) |
(2%)
8 μg |
| Choline |
(5%)
25.4 mg |
| Vitamin C |
(33%)
27.4 mg |
| Minerals | |
| Calcium |
(3%)
26 mg |
| Iron |
(7%)
0.9 mg |
| Magnesium |
(6%)
22 mg |
| Manganese |
(10%)
0.22 mg |
| Phosphorus |
(11%)
78 mg |
| Potassium |
(8%)
363 mg |
| Sodium |
(3%)
45 mg |
| Zinc |
(3%)
0.33 mg |
| Other constituents | |
| Water | 81.42 g |
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| Percentages are roughly approximated using US recommendations for adults. Source: USDA Nutrient Database |
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Nelumbo nucifera, also known as Indian lotus, sacred lotus, bean of India, or simply lotus, is one of two species of aquatic plant in the family Nelumbonaceae. The Linnaean binomial Nelumbo nucifera (Gaertn.) is the currently recognized name for this species, which has been classified under the former names, Nelumbium speciosum (Willd.) and Nymphaea nelumbo, among others. (These names are obsolete synonyms and should be avoided in current works.) This plant is an aquatic perennial. Under favorable circumstances its seeds may remain viable for many years, with the oldest recorded lotus germination being from that of seeds 1,300 years old recovered from a dry lakebed in northeastern China.
Native to Tropical Asia, Queensland and Australia, it is commonly cultivated in water gardens. It is also the national flower of India, and Vietnam.
While all modern plant taxonomy systems agree that this species belongs in the genus Nelumbo, the systems disagree as to which family Nelumbo should be placed in, or whether the genus should belong in its own unique family and order.
The lotus is often confused with the water lilies (Nymphaea, in particular Nymphaea caerulea "blue lotus"). In fact, several older systems, such as the Bentham & Hooker system (which is widely used in the Indian subcontinent) call the lotus Nymphaea nelumbo or Nymphaea stellata. This is, however, evolutionarily incorrect. Far from being in the same family, Nymphaea and Nelumbo are members of different orders (Nymphaeales and Proteales, respectively). Adding to the confusion, some sources have used the scientific name Nymphaea stellata for another species called Blue Lotus or nil mānel in Sinhalese, which is the national flower of both Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
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