The Biology of the American Lotus, Nelumbo lutea (Wild.) Pers

Small (1933) in his "Manual of the Southeastern Flora" designated the American or yellow lotus as Nelumbo lutea (Willd.) Pers. Synonyms include Nelumbium luteutm Willd., Nelumbo lutea Pers., Nelumbium pentapetalum Walt., Nelumbo pentapetala, and Nelumbium codophyllum Raf. The latter name was given 'by Robin (1817) to the lotus plants in Louisiana which were said to be much larger than those of Nelumbium luteunt. Examination of lotus colonies in Louisiana suggests that the larger size is to be attributed to the richer soils and longer growing season. The concensus among botanists seems to be that there is only one species of native lotus in America.