Nymphaea subg. Lotos is a subgenus of the genus Nymphaea.
The rhizomes are short, vertical, and tuberous. The pubescent leaves have a dentate crenate, or serrate margin.
The blue, white, cream, yellow, magenta, or pink, nocturnal or diurnal, emergent flowers extend up to 20 cm above the water surface. The stamens do not have sterile appendages at the apex.
In Nymphaea pubescens and Nymphaea lotus, the chromosome count is 2n = 56. They are tetraploid species.
It was published as Nymphaea sect. Lotos DC. by Augustin Pyramus de Candolle in 1821. Later, it was elevated to the subgenus Nymphaea subgen. Lotos (DC.) Conard published by Henry Shoemaker Conard in 1905.
The type species is Nymphaea lotus L.
Fossils from the upper Oligocene (28.4âÂÂ23.0 million years ago) of France have been assigned to Nymphaea subg. Lotos. It is also known from the Rupelian (33.9 â 27.82 Ma) of Bad Häring, Austria.
It is native to the paleotropis.
Beetle pollination by Ruteloryctes morio has been reported in Nymphaea subg. Lotos.