What is Nymphaea nouchali?
{{italictitle}} [[File:South Vietnam's Water Lily.JPG|thumb|right|250px|The blue-flowered ''Nymphaea nouchali'']] [[File:Water lily in Thiruvananthapuram.JPG|thumb|right|250px|purple version]] [[File:Nymphaea stellata-BSI-yercaud-salem-India.JPG|thumb|250px|right|white version]] [[File:Nymphaea nouchali (Indian red water lily) in Hyderabad, AP W IMG 2624.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Fuchsia-colored ''Nymphaea nouchali'' in [[Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh|Hyderabad]], [[Andhra Pradesh]]]] '''''Nymphaea nouchali''''', (or red and blue water-lily, blue star water-lily, or star lotus) is an aquatic [[flowering plant]] in the [[Nymphaeaceae]] (water-lily [[family (biology)|family]]). It is native to [[Southern Asia|southern]] and eastern [[Asia]].<ref>It is often called the “Blue lotus of India”, but it is not a true lotus (of the lotus family, Nelumbaceae; the genus ''Lotus'' is in the legume family, Fabaceae). Water-lilies are also not true lilies (of the family Liliaceae).</ref> ''N. nouchali'' grows from [[rhizome]]s or [[tuber]]s rooted under the water. Leaves are oval to round, 13–15 cm (5–6 in), with an open sinus at the leaf base where it attaches to the petiole (leaf stem). Leaves may spread 1.4–1.5 m (4–5 feet) from where the rhizome is rooted. Flowers, which have little fragrance, are star-shaped with 4 sepals and 10–16 petals, and are 5–13 cm (2–5 in) in diameter. Although leaves float on the water surface, flowers are generally held 30 cm (12 in) above water. They are usually pale blue (but can be pink or white) with pale yellow stamens and anthers. ''N. nouchali'' has been cultivated in [[southeast Asia]] for centuries, especially around [[temples]]. It is also cultivated in [[Sri Lanka]] and gathered from dried ponds in the Republic of India for the rhizomes, which are used as food and animal fodder as a source of starch. In [[Ayurveda|Ayurvedic medicine]], it is used to treat indigestion. Cultivars include N. stellata var. cyanea, which has medium-sized pale to deep blue flowers, and N. stellata var. versico