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Plants / Bulbs & Tubers
Lotus
Bulbs & Tubers

Lotus

Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn.

The sacred lotus is a large emergent pond plant from Asia whose leaves and flowers rise up to about 1.8 m above the water; it spreads by rhizomes and long-lived seeds and is invasive in parts of the USA.

Check your local laws. Invasive outside cultivation in the USA. Wisconsin: Prohibited. New York: assessed invasive (invasiveness rank Moderate, 2008; SLELO PRISM Tier 1, 'should not be planted or spread'). UF/IFAS (Florida): 'Do not plant'. Not found on the EU Union list or the US Federal Noxious Weed list in sources checked. Never throw it into ponds, rivers or drains.

Needs

Care levelUnknown
LightUnknown
CO₂Unknown
GrowthUnknown
HeightUp to 180 cm
TemperatureUnknown
WhereBack of the tank
Feeds throughRoots (use root tabs)
FamilyNelumbonaceae
Native toUkraine to northern Iran, Russian Far East to tropical Asia, and northern and north-eastern Australia; introduced and naturalised in the eastern USA and elsewhere
Facts checked against sources on 16 Oct 2026. See sources

How to keep it

  • Grow only in a pond or very large container you can keep secure
  • Remove seed heads so seeds cannot escape
  • Planting it, or dumping plants or seeds, in natural waters
  • Small tanks

Sources

9 facts checked with sources

  • Scientific namePOWO: Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn.
  • FamilycorrectedPOWO: Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn. · UF/IFAS Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants: sacred lotus
  • Native rangecorrectedPOWO: Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn. · UF/IFAS Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants: sacred lotus
  • HeightcorrectedUF/IFAS Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants: sacred lotus · Wisconsin DNR: Sacred Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera)
  • Where to plantcorrectedUF/IFAS Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants: sacred lotus · SLELO PRISM (New York): Sacred & American Lotus
  • Water or land plantcorrectedUF/IFAS Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants: sacred lotus · POWO: Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn.
  • AboutcorrectedUF/IFAS Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants: sacred lotus · New York Non-native Plant Invasiveness Ranking Form: Nelumbo nucifera (2008)
  • Care tipscorrectedUF/IFAS Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants: sacred lotus · SLELO PRISM (New York): Sacred & American Lotus
  • LawscorrectedWisconsin DNR: Sacred Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) · SLELO PRISM (New York): Sacred & American Lotus · New York Non-native Plant Invasiveness Ranking Form: Nelumbo nucifera (2008) · UF/IFAS Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants: sacred lotus