The lotus is an ancient and mysterious plant. In the writings and pictorial depictions that we have from ancient cultures, the lotus has always been hidden in the background.
In many of the major faiths of Asia, the lotus is considered somewhat sacred, representing purity in Buddhism and divinity in Hinduism.
Even the language of Sanskrit, a language that has not been spoken natively in almost 2000 years and only spoken in sermon since that time, has its own word for the lotus, suggesting that our fascination with the plant has continued for an insanely long time.
Whatever your spiritual feelings for the plant, it is an extraordinarily beautiful plant with a lot of interesting qualities and could make a great addition to your budding garden.
There are not many water plants that can turn your pond from a feature of your garden to the main attraction, but the lotus is surely one of them.
With that said, there are some differences between the types of lotus out there that you need to know about.
In this article, we will take a closer look at the lotus flower and discuss the different types of lotus you can find in your garden.
The Different Types Of Lotus
There are many types of lotus plants in the world today, and they all differ slightly, however the problem is that there are a great many of them, far too many for one list.
Therefore, we have decided to dedicate this list to the plants that people are most attracted to or are the most popular lotus’ to own.
Vietnamese Lotus
This lotus is very common in tropical climates in Asia, and it is the national flower of Vietnam. It is also known as the “water lily” because of its large leaves and how it looks when sitting on the surface of still waters.
The centers are bright yellow, while the petals are a gorgeous pink on the outer rim and gradually fade to white on the inside.
While the bottom of the bloom remains flat, the petals themselves curve upwards in a cup shape, giving it a wonderfully beautiful formation.
This lotus is very easy to grow and requires no maintenance. However, the Vietnamese lotus does have a few issues that you may want to be aware of before planting it in your yard.
The first is an extremely slow growth rate, and the second is that their seeds can become invasive in non-native environments.
American Lotus
The American lotus is a species of lotus that is native to the North American, but its range was supposedly expanded by Native American groups as they moved through the country.
The reason for this is that lotus root is quite a good food source and is still eaten today.
This lotus’ bloom is never fully open, instead having the leaves curl up and inward, making the plant look protected from the outside while still maintaining its beauty.
There are quite a few petals on this plant, and the lotus tends to come in either white or light yellow coloring.
They are generally tall, thin grass-like plants that only reach about 5 foot at most, but their blooms can be as wide as 11 inches, which is a staggeringly large bloom for such a thin plant.
Momo Botan Lotus
The Momo Botan Lotus is a species of dwarf lotus that is very fast-growing and can reach up to 2 feet in height, which is short for an aquatic plant, but they are shore specialists rather than deep water drifters.
The beauty of this lotus lies in its layering. See, the petals tend to be quite small and inward curving, while getting slightly wider at the end of them.
Yet, this means that there can be a great many of these petals, and so this creates a top inward curving layer and a bottom plate type layer that gives the impression the top layer is resting on it.
Momo Botan’s are a bright pink color most of the time, with the bottom of the petal being a richer pink than the top.
While being quite a short plant, the blooms can be very big, reaching up to 15 inches in diameter.
They do well in small or medium constructed ponds and work really well as ornamental plants thanks to their fast-growing nature.
Angel’s Wings Lotus
The Angel’s Wings Lotus is a small member of the lotus family in all regards. It only reaches about 20 inches in height (or 1.5 feet) and its bloom does not go beyond 4 inches in diameter.
However, this small size makes it perfect for container water gardens or indoor ornamental use.
The name gives credence to the bloom of this lotus, as the petals are pure white and appear as if someone delicately arranged the lotus in a divine pattern.
Each of the petals is slightly curved, but unlike other lotus’, they widen and then reach a point at the end, while rigidly maintaining their upward position.
It is such an interesting design with startling beauty behind it, that you could reasonably assume that some divine being made the flower using the white petals as origami.
These plants only need shallow water to grow, making them perfect for smaller gardens.
Sacred Lotus
Considering that this lotus is considered a sacred flower in many faiths, there isn’t really much to find fault with it and with it being the national flower of India, there are billions who probably agree.
It is extraordinarily beautiful and rises out of murky, muddy water as if it just came out of the purest spring stream.
Even though it grows in dirty water, it manages to not only appear clean and colorful, but this makes it naturally hardy as well.
The petals, while appearing delicate, are actually quite rigid and are not destroyed by strong storms or problematic environments.
These petals tend to be a blend of soft pinks and pure whites that get strongly pink on the tips of the petals and more white in the center.
The vertical striations on the petals complete the look and make it appear more full and draw the eye.
This ecstatic allure in dismal looking areas is probably why people considered this flower sacred in the first place, and it is not hard to see why.
King Lotus
The King Lotus is a wild and rare species of lotus, found in the Indian subcontinent and South-East Asia.
It is an absolutely humongous lotus, whose flower is normally about 15 inches in diameter, while the lily pad that accompanies the lotus is even bigger – being a couple of feet across.
What’s amazing about the King Lotus is their buoyancy, as they are known to be able to carry heavy weights and even some medium-sized animals with little effort.
This is perhaps due to the plant’s giant size which, on average, is about 6 feet tall but can be much larger depending on how deep the pond or lake that they reside in is.
King Lotuses have five petals that are usually white or cream-colored on the outside and a deep red on the inside.
These flowers may have single or double petals, depending on the circumstances the lotus finds itself in.
Royal Lotus
Moving back over to Vietnam once again for an incredibly rare lotus breed, that many true horticulturalists clamor for to fill their garden with.
It is a personal favorite of those who cultivate rare breeds or those who are creating an east Asian style garden. In either case, it is a truly amazing flower.
Unlike our previous entrant, this lotus is on the smaller end of the spectrum, and they tend to thrive in smaller areas without too many other plants.
Like the Vietnamese Lotus, they tend to come in pink and white hues, but what makes them striking is their petals.
The inner petals of the Royal Lotus tend to curl and twist around the yellow center and while the outer petals also twist, it is not nearly to the degree that the inner petals do.
This gives the bloom of the Royal Lotus a dramatic pose that is unique amongst the elegant, but conservative blooming of most other lotus’.
Tinh De Lotus
Another Vietnamese lotus that is exceptionally rare, but sought after greatly by those of a horticultural persuasion.
These lotuses’ are considered exceptionally beautiful and were previously dedicated to the local royalty of Vietnam.
The reason for this is one of their unique features. Unlike other lotus’, Tinh De can produce two blooms on a single stem, not just one.
These blooms fall to the side of one another and give a vibrant display of color and formation.
The blooms themselves are oval shaped or rounded and can come as tightly compact or completely open, depending on the plant itself.
Like most Vietnamese lotus breeds, these plants tend to range from pink to white, but these lotuses’ only open at certain points of the year.
This means that many enthusiastic gardeners wait on tender hooks for the moment they open with fascination and delight.
The problem with planting these lotuses’ in your own space is that they can grow up to 2 meters in height.
Most ponds are not that high, so if you plan to acquire one, then you need to make sure you have the space for it.
Carolina Queen Lotus
The Carolina Queen is a lotus flower that is most commonly confused with a tulip, as they bear an interesting resemblance to the plant when they have opened.
This is due to the inner petals remaining closed around the center, yet unlike tulips, the outer petals do fan out to catch the sun.
The petals of the Carolina Queen are surprisingly long and seem to reach far upwards for the inner petals and far out from the plant for the outer petals.
The bloom tends to be pink and white, with the inner petals retaining more of their pink color, while the further out the outer petals go, the less color they have on them.
Although these plants do best in full exposure to the sun, they are also very hardy and can survive easily in cloudy or stormy weather, where the sun may not appear for very long.
At 6 feet in height, these lotuses’ are very tall and much prefer deep water to their cousins, but they can still be planted in mid-sized ponds and thrive. They just need enough room to spread their roots.
The Green Maiden Lotus
The Green Maiden is a type of dwarf lotus flower that is one of the smallest of the lotus’ family, but that doesn’t stop it from having a variety of unique and beautiful features.
The maximum it can grow to is about 3 feet tall with an average size of about 1 to 1.5 feet, while the blooms tend to be between 1 and 3 inches in diameter.
Like the Tinh De Lotus, it can also produce double blooms and due to its small size, it is highly sought after for public and private water gardens alike.
One of the most incredible things about the Green Maiden is its color scheme.
While it blends colors like other lotus’, it does so with three colors rather than two. The very edge of the petals are a purple-pink color, but only the edge.
The rest of the petal is white, except for the inner petals. The inner petals follow the same pattern, but as they get closer to the center, they turn a deep yellow color.
This gives the impression that these lotus flowers have been painted, rather than that they came into existence on their own.
If you are considering these plants for your garden, then they suit most small ponds or water containers, rather than large ponds.
Conclusion
Lotus plants are revered for a reason. They are hardy, interesting, edible plants that most of all appear stunning to anyone or thing looking upon.
From this list, you can gather the kinds of plants that come in the lotus family, but if you can’t find a plant that suits your taste, don’t worry.
There are lots more lotus’ than these and if you should look carefully, we are sure you will find something that would look perfect in your water garden or in your pond.
The majority of people who have no interest in the subject, and aren’t green fingered assume that all plants and vegetables require the same growing conditions. This is not the case at all. Each plant has its own unique and interesting history and growing process.
I hope you will find The Natural List useful, and that it will help educate you on the wide variety of different flower and plant species there are across the globe.
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