Study of a Water Lily

 The water lily is perhaps the most poetic flower that exists and is known as Nymphaea; an aquatic plant in the family Nymphaeaceae. They are opulent with iridescent colors and dream their hours away in their watery gardens. Some water lilies open under reflected sunlight and sink beneath the water at twilight, while other species such as the Egyptian white water lily seek moonlight. Should you be so fortunate as to view one in perfect bloom it will intoxicate you with its bewitching beauty and leave an indelible watery impression of the other world upon you. 


Purple lotus

This is the mystic lotus, represented only in images belonging to a few esoteric sects. The flowers may be in full bloom and reveal their heart, or in a bud. They may be supported by a simple stem, a triple stem (symbolizing the three divisions of Garbhadhatu: Vairocana, lotus and vajra), or a quintuple stem (symbolizing the Five Knowledges of Vajradhatu). The eight petals represent the Noble Eightfold Path and the eight principal acolyte deities of the central deity on the mandalas. The flowers may also be depicted presented in a cup or on a tray, as a symbol of homage.

http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/history/b_lotus.htm