Nymphaea nouchali var. caerulea

Nymphaea nouchali var. caerulea, or simply Nymphaea caerulea, also known as blue lotus or blue water lily among many other names, is a water lily in the genus Nymphaea, a botanical variety of Nymphaea nouchali. It is an aquatic plant of freshwater lakes, pools and rivers, naturally found throughout most of the eastern half of Africa, as well as parts of southern Arabia, but has also been spread to other regions as an ornamental plant. It can tolerate the roots being in anoxic mud in nutritionally poor conditions, and can become a dominant plant in deeper water in such habitats. The underwater rhizomes are edible. It features prominently in Egyptian mythology and art, symbolizing the sun and rebirth and has been found in pharaohs' tombs. It may have been used for aphrodisiac and religious purposes, including in rituals like Hathor's Festival of Drunkenness. The plant contains the psychoactive alkaloids nuciferine and apomorphine, which interact with the serotonin, dopamine, and adrenerg......read more on Wikipedia.