Lotus leaves are round or nearly round, or ovate, with some varieties being lanceolate or arrowhead-shaped; they have entire margins, but those of tropical lotus have wavy edges; the upper surface is green and glossy, while the lower surface is purple-red, with some varieties displaying dark brown spots or mottling; the leaf veins are either distinct or not very distinct. In a few tropical lotus varieties, small plants grow between the tip of the large cleft and the point of attachment to the petiole, a phenomenon known as "vivipary."

The lotus flower is composed of sepals, petals, stamens, pistils, styles, and peduncles. The flower is solitary and bisexual. It has 4 to 5 sepals that are green or purplish-red, sometimes with black spots, and come in shapes such as lanceolate, narrowly ovate, or oblong. The bud is long peach-shaped or peach-shaped; petals are usually ovate, broadly ovate, oblong, elongated, obovate, or broadly lanceolate, with tips slightly pointed or slightly obtuse. Colors include red, pink, blue, purple, and white. Petals can be single, multi-layered, or double-layered. Therefore, the size, shape, and color of the petals vary with the variety, forming a brilliant floral appearance. The ovary is superior to circumferential, with the stamens enveloping the upper pistil before blooming and then spreading out like a sickle upon maturity. Sepals, petals, and stamens are spirally arranged above the receptacle and the ovary wall. The pistils are arranged in a ring shape, embedded within the receptacle and fused together, with the upper style separate, the stigma filiform, and centered by a nipple-like protrusion, forming a funnel shape. Upon maturity, the stigma secretes stigma substances, primarily containing glucose, fructose, and amino acids, to attract insects for pollination.

The lotus fruit is ovoid to hemispherical, matures in water, and cracks irregularly; the seeds are small, elliptical or spherical; most have an aril.

Lotus is a perennial aquatic herb with thick rhizomes, either upright or creeping. Leaves are of two types, with floating leaves floating on the water surface, round, elliptical, or ovate, with a bluntly rounded tip, deeply cleft at the base into horseshoe or heart shapes, and wavy or entire leaf margins; submerged leaves are thin and delicate. Flowers are solitary, vary in size and color, and bloom either floating or emergent; there are 4 sepals, and many petals and stamens. Fruits are berries with a fibrous texture, mature in water, and crack irregularly; seeds are hard, deep green or dark brown, and encased in a gelatinous covering with a false seed coat. Different varieties exhibit varying morphological characteristics.