Lotus leaves are round or nearly round, or ovate, with some varieties being lanceolate or arrowhead-shaped; the leaves are entire, but the margins of tropical lotus leaves are wavy; the upper surface is green and glossy, while the underside is purplish-red, with some varieties having dark brown spots or mottled patterns on the leaf surface; the leaf veins are prominent or not very prominent. In a few tropical lotus varieties, small plants grow between the tip of the large notch on the leaf blade and the base of the petiole, referred to as "viviparous."
The lotus flower is composed of sepals, petals, stamens, pistils, styles, and peduncles. The flower is solitary and bisexual. Its sepals number 4 to 5, and are green or purplish-red, sometimes with black spots, with shapes like lanceolate, narrow ovate, or elliptical. The bud is long peach-shaped or peach-shaped; petals are usually ovate, broadly ovate, elliptical, oblong, obovate, or broadly lanceolate, with slightly pointed or slightly obtuse tips. The flower colors include red, pink, blue, purple, and white. Petals can be single, multiple, or double. Thus, the size, shape, and color of the petals vary by species, creating a splendid flower form. The ovary is superior to perigynous, with the stamens wrapping around the pistil above before blooming, and they spread out in a sickle shape upon maturity. The sepals, petals, and stamens are spirally arranged above the receptacle and ovary wall. The pistils form a ring-like arrangement embedded within the receptacle and are fused together, with the upper style separating, the stigma being filiform and centered by a nipple-like projection, forming a funnel shape. Upon maturity, the stigma releases substances, primarily containing glucose, fructose, and amino acids, to attract insects for pollination.
The lotus fruit is ovate to hemispherical, matures in water, and splits irregularly; the seeds are small, elliptical or spherical; most have an aril.
Lotus is a perennial floating-leaf aquatic herb plant with thick rhizomes, either upright or creeping. The leaves are of two types: floating leaves float on the water surface, round, elliptical, or ovate, with rounded tips, deeply cleft at the base into horseshoe or heart shapes, with wavy or entire margins or teeth; submerged leaves are thin and delicate. Flowers are solitary, with variations in size and color, blooming either floating or emergent; there are 4 sepals, many petals, and stamens. The fruit is a juicy berry, ripening in water and cracking irregularly; the seeds are hard, deep green or dark brown, encased in a gelatinous coat, with a pseudocarp. Different varieties have different morphological characteristics.