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Sacred Lotus

Nelumbo nucifera

Found in ponds, lakes, canals. FloraQuest, phone app (app page) What its natural habitat tells you

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Not native

Not native to Virginia. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 76%

Height
3–6 feet
Spread
3–4 feet
Light
Full sun
Soil moisture
Wet to standing water

At a glance

Life cycle
Annual or perennial
Leaves
Evergreen
Bloom
June to September

Recorded in 1 Virginia county.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

Ponds, lakes and their shores

Yellow butterwort beside a moss-hung coastal pond
Regional / representative. Shown: Southern coastal pond margins, Florida and Louisiana to North Carolina; state not identified, a neighboring state.Yellow butterwort beside a moss-hung coastal pond, Marian Ellis Rowan, 1901. Public domain. Source record.

All habitats

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

5CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including VA

Genus host records with ranges including VA · Nelumbo

  • Bellura obliquaCattail Border Moth, Cattail Diver
  • Elophila gyralisWaterlily Borer Moth
  • Elophila obliteralisWaterlily Leafcutter Moth
  • Ostrinia penitalisAmerican Lotus Borer, Lily Moth
  • Parapoynx maculalisPolymorphic Pondweed Moth
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
—BeesSoutheastern regional records
—Specialist beesPollen specialists
—BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim
Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Nelumbonaceae
Hardiness
Zones 4a–10b
Flower color
Pink or white

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope
Also known as

Oriental Lotus Lily; Pink Lotus Lily; Sacred Lotus Lily

Conservation status

Virginia rankSNA
Global rankG5
VA statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

Native alternatives

Find natives for your garden

Sources