Nelumbo nucifera Stellar White

The Nelumbo nucifera 'Stellar White' is a large and magnificent white Lotus that is vigorous, floriferous, and easy to grow. It displays wide, single, and "dancing" flowers with airy white petals surrounding a beautiful cluster of stamens. This beautiful aquatic perennial is ornamental with its foliage that emerges well above the water surface and its generous summer flowering. This large lotus is suitable for natural ponds and large basins. 

The Lotus 'Stellar White' is a horticultural selection. Like all Lotuses, it belongs to the Nelumbonaceae family. It is an aquatic plant with foliage and flowers that rise above the water, unlike in water lilies. The species' original range, Nelumbo nucifera, includes Southeast Asia and Northern Australia. It inhabits large ponds and canals filled with muddy water in these regions, standing out majestically.

The 'Stellar White' variety develops bluish-green leaves that are more or less upright, with a flat or concave surface, slightly undulated at the edges. Water droplets on their surface bead up instead of spreading out due to the hydrophobic quality of the epidermis. The entire and peltate lamina, measuring between 50 and 60 cm in diameter, attaches to the very brittle rhizome with a thin, spiny petiole fixed under the centre of the leaf. The plant will rise 1.50 m to 2 m above the water surface. The flowering begins in June-July and extends until September. The single flowers are solitary, measuring 15 to 25 cm in diameter. They persist for three to five days before withering and are replaced by new flower buds. This flowering is followed by the formation of highly decorative yellow fruits shaped like a watering can spout with small holes releasing the mature seeds. It is often used to make dried bouquets and contains numerous seeds that will eventually sink and germinate in the mud.

The 'Stellar White' Lotus is ideal for large bodies of water and natural ponds. Its rhizome should be planted in a clay-like substrate under 50 cm to 1 m of water, which must be kept frost-free. The plant can also be removed from the water in autumn and overwintered in slightly moist clay.

Lotuses and water lilies will be the main attractions of your pond plantings. Most of them bloom from spring until early autumn. The lotus is also an essential plant for maintaining the balance of a garden pond as it contributes to water oxygenation. Its leaves provide shade and shelter for your fish, which, in return, protect them from predatory insects such as aphids.

The entire plant is edible. The seeds are consumed candied, and the rhizome is a nourishing starch. The yellow stamens are used to flavour tea in Vietnam. The rhizome and seeds are also used in Chinese cosmetology to fight against ageing, as well as in medicine and perfumery.

The perfection of the sacred lotus flower and fruit (Nelumbo nucifera) makes this aquatic plant a symbol of purity in several religions. Buddhism derives its sacred character from the belief that Buddha appeared floating on its leaf. In Hinduism, it is perceived as the cradle of the universe.