Indian lotus flower

Seeds: 8  / Botanical name: Nelumbo nucifera

Long-stalked, flawless leaves and majestic blossoms

Its ability to repel all dirt made the lotus flower a symbol of purity and enlightenment in Asia. In Hinduism, it represents the center of the universe, and Buddha appeared on a lotus leaf. Botanically, the lotus flower is simply a spreading, herbaceous aquatic plant with thick, fleshy rhizomes, but unlike the water lily, it produces long-stalked, flawless leaves that can reach up to two meters in height, and fragrant flowers up to 25 centimeters across, in the center of which is the somewhat bizarre seed head. Its depressions contain the hazelnut-sized, edible seeds.

Natural habitat: The Indian lotus flower inhabits the Asian region from Japan through China to Nepal and westward to the Caspian Sea.