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Blue Water Lily
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Blue Water Lily
ative Photo: Tabish
Common name: Blue water lily, Blue lotus of India • Assamese: ভেটফুল Bhetphul, কুমুদ Kumud, উৎপল Utpol • Bengali: কুমুদ Kumuda, সাদা শাপলা Sada Shapala, শালুক Shaluka, তারা শাপলা Tara Shapala • Bodo: सिलङ बिबार Selong Bebar • Gujarati: નીલ કમલ Neel Kamal, પોયણાં Poyana • Hindi: नीलकमल Neelkamal, नीलोत्पल Neelotpal • Kannada: ಕೋಮಳೆ Komale, ನೈದಿಲೆ Naidile, ನೀಲ ತಾವರೆ Neela Thaavare • Karbi: Mirdong • Kashmiri: बुमि-पोश् Bumi-Posh, कुमुदपुष्पम् Kumudapushpam • Kokborok: Lal Sapla, Sankha Sapla • Konkani: कस्तूरी साळक Kasturi Salak • Malayalam: ആമ്പൽ Aambal, ചിറ്റാമ്പൽ Chittaambal • Manipuri: ꯊꯔꯤꯛꯊꯥ Thariktha • Marathi: कुमुद Kumud, उपल्या कमळ Upalya Kamal • Nepali: नीलो कमल Neelo Kamal, सेतो कमल Seto Kamal • Odia: ନୀଳ କଇଁ Nila Kaim • Pali: इंदीवर Indivara • Persian: نيلوفر Nilofar • Punjabi: ਨੀਲੋਫਰ Nilofar • Sanskrit: इन्दीवर Indivara • Tai: বক্ পাপ্ পুঙ্ Bok Pap Pung • Tamil: அல்லி Alli, கருநெய்தல் Karu-Neytal, நெய்தல் மலர் Neytal Malar, நீலாம்பல் Nilampal • Telugu: అల్లి కాడ Alli Kada, అల్లి తామర Alli Tamara, ఇందీవరము Indeevaramu, కుముద Kumuda, నల్ల కలువ Nalla Kaluva, నల్లని పద్మము Nallani Padmamu, నీటి తామర Neeti Tamara, తెల్ల కలువ Tella Kaluva, ఉత్పలము Utpalamu • Tibetan: དྲི་མཆོག Dri Mchog • Tulu: ಕೋಮಳೆ Komale • Urdu: گُل نیلوفر Gul-E-Neelofar Source: Names of Plants in India
Botanical name: Nymphaea nouchali    Family: Nymphaeaceae (Waterlily family)
Synonyms: Nymphaea stellata, Nymphaea cyanea, Nymphaea hookeriana
The Blue Waterlily, also known as the Indian Blue Lotus is a water-lily that is found in India. The leaves are broadly rounded, 25-40 cm across, with a notch at the leaf stem. The flowers are 10-15 cm diameter, open in the morning, rising to the surface of the water, then close and sink at dusk. It has blue petals, smoothly changing to a pale yellow in the centre of the flower. There is variety Nymphaea nouchali var. caerulea is the sky-blue colored so-called Egyptian 'lotus'. It is found growing along the Nile. It was considered extremely significant in Egyptian mythology, since it rose and fell with the sun. Consequently, due to its colourings, it was identified, in some beliefs, as having been the original container, in a similar manner to an egg, of Atum, and in similar beliefs Ra, both solar deities. As such, its properties form the origin of the lotus variant of the Ogdoad cosmogeny.
Identification credit: Tabish Photographed in Garden of Five Senses, Delhi.
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