Nymphaea nouchali in the context of Nymphaea nouchali var. caerulea

Lotus identifies various plant taxa:

• Nelumbo, a genus of aquatic plants with showy flowers known as lotuses, having two extant species:
  • Nelumbo nucifera, the Sacred or Indian lotus
  • Nelumbo lutea, the American or yellow lotus
• Certain species of Nymphaea, a genus of aquatic plants known as water lilies, are also known as Egyptian lotus or Egyptian water lily:
  • Nymphaea caerulea, also known as blue lotus
  • Nymphaea lotus, white lotus or sacred lotus
  • Nymphaea nouchali, also known as blue or star lotus (sometimes thought to be the same species as Nymphaea caerulea above)
• Lotus, a terrestrial genus of legumes with small flowers, including bird's-foot trefoils and deervetches
• Certain species of Saussurea, a genus of herbaceous plant, are known as snow lotus, particularly those from the Himalayan vicinity
• Ziziphus lotus, a shrub species with edible fruit
• Diospyros lotus, a tree with edible fruit known as the date-plum or Caucasian persimmon

Nymphaea nouchali var. caerulea, is a water lily in the genus Nymphaea, a botanical variety of Nymphaea nouchali.

It is an aquatic plant of freshwater lakes, pools and rivers, naturally found throughout most of the eastern half of Africa, as well as parts of southern Arabia, but has also been spread to other regions as an ornamental plant. It can tolerate the roots being in anoxic mud in nutritionally poor conditions, and can become a dominant plant in deeper water in such habitats. The underwater rhizomes are edible.