American Lotus (Nelumbo lutea)

Title: American Lotus. Alternative Title: Nelumbo lutea. Contact: mailto:nctcimages@fws.gov. Creator: Dr. Thomas G. Barnes,; Description: An image of a white flowering plant. Subject: Flowering plants. Plants

Publisher: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Contributors: Dr. Thomas Barnes, Universtiy of Kentucky. Date of Original: 1980's. Type: Still Image. Format: JPG. Item ID: B1IMG0038.jpg. Source: NCTC Image Library. Language: English. Audience: General. Date created: 2006-08-11.

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The native distribution of the species is the southeastern United States, Mexico, Honduras, and the Caribbean. It has apparently been distributed northwards in the United States by Native Americans who carried the plant with them as a food source

Like the Asian species Nelumbo nucifera, the American Lotus is an emergent aquatic plant. It grows in lakes and swamps, as well as areas subject to flooding. The roots are anchored in the mud, but the leaves and flowers emerge above the water's surface. The petioles of the leaves may extend as much as 2 m (6.6 ft) and end in a round leaf blade (13–17 in) in diameter. Mature plants range in height from (2.6 to 4.9 ft).

TEXT RESOURCE: Nelumbo lutea