lotus

A lotus flower in Bali. The lotus flower, a species of water lily, is a sacred symbol in Hindu and Buddhist cultures.

Any of several different plants, especially the water lily (Nymphaea lotus), frequent in Egyptian art, and the pink Asiatic lotus (Nelumbo nucifera), a sacred symbol in Hinduism and Buddhism, whose flower head floats erect above the water.

Others are those of the genus Lotus (family Leguminosae), including the bird's foot trefoil (L. corniculatus); the jujube shrub (Zizyphus lotus), known to the ancient Greeks who used its fruit to make a type of bread and also a wine supposed to induce happy oblivion - hence lotus-eaters; and the American lotus (Nelumbo lutea), a pale yellow water lily of the southern USA.