Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn. 荷 (He, Lotus)

N. Gaertn., belonging to the Waterlily family (Nymphaeaceae), is a kind of perennial aquatic herbage plant, which is one of the most important aquatic vegetables widely growing in China due to its pleasant flavor and high nutritional value, especially its seeds, rhizomes and leaves. It’s easy to be cultivated and is distributed in wetlands throughout temperate and tropical Asia from Iran to Japan and from China to Queensland.