Nelumbonaceae
/ˌnɛlʌmbəˈneɪsiː/noun
A botanical family of aquatic flowering plants containing the sacred lotus and the American lotus.
Did you know?Nelumbonaceae contains only one living genus, Nelumbo, with two recognized species: the sacred lotus and the American lotus.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient South Asia
Sanskrit/Sinhala
nelum
“Lotus; a traditional South Asian name for the plant”
18th Century
Botanical Latin
Nelumbo
“The genus name for the lotus plant, adapted from a South Asian vernacular name”
1780s
Botanical Latin
Nelumbium
“An earlier genus form used for lotus plants”
19th Century
Botanical Latin
Nelumbonaceae
“The family name formed from Nelumbo with the botanical suffix -aceae”
Modern English
English
Nelumbonaceae
“The lotus family, a taxonomic family of aquatic flowering plants”
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