The lotus

 Aasian vesi lilja tunnetaan kauniina ja hentona veden kasvina. 
Sen on hämmästyttävästi nähty auttavan ihmisiä, joita riivaa joku ympäristön aiheuttama haitta kuten se kasvu paikallaankin auttaa puhdistamalla ympäristön mudan. 
Se on tunnettu myös voimakkaasta kyvystä siementää kauas kasvupaikaltaan, vieden kauneutta kaikkialle. 

Nymphaea lotus Egyptin valkosen Lootuksen, on uskottu olevan ikivanha alkuperäinen Egyptin  se ja Egyptin sininen Lootus ovat usein vanhassa Egyptiläisessä taiteessa. 
Valkoinen Lootus on madaltuvien vesien, yöllä kukkiva kasvi , jonka rönsyilevät juuret valtaavat tehokkaasti lähialueet, tumman vihreät nahkamaiset lehdet peittävät lähistön . kukinnot, jotka ovat läpimitaltaan noin 25 cm, säilyvät avoimena keskipäivään saakka Sininen Lootus on pienempi, vähemmän näyttävä kasvi, joka kukkiin päivällä. 
Intian Sininen , N. stellata, eroaa Egyptiläisestä sinisestä ennen kaikkea suurempien lehtien ansiosta. 
 
 
 
 
 

The American lotus, N. lutea, is found in the eastern half of the United States into southern Canada. It has thick, spreading rootstock and large bluish green circular leaves, up to 60 cm (2 ft) across, which are usually raised above the surface of the water. The pale-yellow flowers, up to 25 cm (10 in) across, usually open on three successive days. Both the seeds and the rootstock (rhizomes) were eaten by the Indians. The East Indian lotus, N. nucifera, found in southern Asia, was introduced into Egypt about 2,500 years ago but is no longer found in the Nile region. Its flowers are considered sacred by the Buddhists of India, Tibet, and China. (Edwin E. Rosenblum) Picture Caption[s] The lotus, Nymphaea lotus, bears many-seeded, berrylike fruit and leathery, floating leaves that may reach 50 cm (20 in) across. The cup- shaped flowers of the lotus were often represented in ancient Egyptian art and architecture.
Lakshmi (luhk'-shmee), wife of the Hindu god VISHNU, and one of the incarnations of the Mother-Goddess, or Devi, is the goddess of fortune and prosperity as well as the epitome of feminine beauty. According to Hindu legend she was born radiant and fully grown from the churning of the sea. Lakshmi is portrayed as sitting on a lotus, her traditional symbol. SHAKTI art objects is a basic characteristic of all Phoenician art.
A 13th-century BC sarcophagus from BYBLOS that was reused for King Hirain in the 10th century BC, for example, shows a bearded ruler seated on a throne that is flanked by winged sphinxes and topped by a lotus frieze. Also shown is a procession of servants and worshipers approaching a table laden with food; below the scene four lions support the sarcophagus.
Most seeds remain quiescent during a cold or dry season and germinate only with the coming of favorable growing conditions. Seeds that require special treatment to germinate, even when presented with adequate water and oxygen and favorable temperatures, are said to exhibit DORMANCY. Seeds with thick or waxy coats, which inhibit the entry of water and oxygen, may remain in a prolonged quiescent state. Seeds of the Indian lotus can germinate 200 years after they are shed. Most seeds, however, lose the ability to germinate within several years of shedding. Following the return of the rains, primitive peoples witnessed the rise of the undefiled water lily from the bottom of dried-up watercourses and considered the living blooms symbols of immortality and resurrection. The ancient Egyptians from the 4th dynasty greatly valued the sacred lotus, N. totus, in religious ceremonies and funerals.