It seems like this may depend on whether you are a lumper or a
splitter. The USDA Plants Database and Flora of North America
recognize two species.

Nelumbo nucifera:
http://hua.huh.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/F...ID=20000707 9

Nelumbo lutea:
http://hua.huh.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/F...ID=23350079 6

There seem to be several other morphological differences besides
flower color. Hortus Third notes that N. nucifera can be
differentiated from N. lutea because N. nucifera
1. is larger,
2. often has sinuate, rather than entire, leaf margins,
3. has glaucous leaves,
4. has rough petioles and peduncles,
5. has very fragrant flowers.

If you go with one species then based on the webpage you cited, it is
apparently Nelumbo nucifera, and the yellow type is Nelumbo nucifera
ssp. lutea. The nonyellow types would be designated Nelumbo nucifera
ssp. nucifera.

According to the Flora of North America page on N. lutea, Nelumbo
pentapetala is proposed for rejection. Other Nelumbo synonyms are
found he http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs...splist.pl?8035

The other names you listed seem to represent cultivar names but they
are not in proper form. Before rules for cultivars were established, a
lot of cultivars were named as botanical varieties or forms. A lot of
the old Latin variety or forma names were grandfathered in as cultivar
names. If the name was in use before the International Code of
Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants took effect, you could properly
write Nelumbo 'Alba Grandiflora' and Nelumbo 'Pekinensis Rubra'. I
didn't see Nelumbo 'Caspicum' on the following unofficial list of
Nelumbo cultivars, but it seems to be in the trade.
http://www.victoria-adventure.org/lo..._names_a-e.htm

To be certain on cultivar names you need to check the official
registrar for Nelumbo cultivars which seems to be Ganna Walska
Lotusland but they don't seem to have an official cultivar list
online.

http://www.lotusland.org/introreg.htm


David R. Hershey





Quegmo Backwater wrote in message ...
A couple questions...

1. Are N. lutea and N. nucifera generally considered the same species? I
came across a SEM analysis
(http://www.uta.edu/biology/arnott/po...troduction.htm) which cites
a paper [Borsch, T. & Barthlott, W. 1996. Classification and
Distribution of the genus Nelumbo Adans (Nelumbonaceae)], that
apparently states the only significant difference between N. lutea and
N. nucifera is flower color, and that they are now classified as
subspecies. Has anyone read this paper? Is the proper nomenclature N.
nucifera nucifera and N. nucifera lutea? Speaking of names, I've seen
other "species" of Nelumbo mentioned on the net...N. alba grandiflora,
N. nucifera caspicum, N. nucifera rosea, N. pentapetala and N.
pekinensis rubra. Are all of these just cultivars and/or obsolete nomenclature?

2. The newest phylogenetic tree I have is Soltis et al 1999 (the one
published in Nature). Is everything pretty much the same now, or has
alot of stuff been moved around since then? Can anyone point me to
something more current/accurate (if necessary)?

Quegmo Backwater