Charles writes
Is Nymphaea maculata a new name for Nymphaea lotus? The books I have
are not complete, the information on the web is
confusing/contradictory,or I just don't understand it.

Stewart Robert Hinsley schreef
IPNI (http://www.ipni.org) has N. maculata Raf. as possibly the same as
N. tuberosa, and N. tuberosa as a form of N. odorata, and N. odorata the
same as N. nitida.

It has N. maculata Schum. & Thonn. as the same as N. stellata. (I guess
N. stellata Willd. rather than N. stellata F. Muell.. The latter is N.
gigantea Hook.)

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Well, IPNI is not particularly helpful in such cases
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Judging by the information elsewhere on the web, which has N. maculata
as *African* tiger waterlily, and N. tuberosa as (temperate) *American*
white waterlily the majority of references on the web would seem to be
to N. maculata Schum. & Thonn.

N. lotus was introduced by Linnaeus, and unless Linnaeus's name cannot
be identified with a single currently recognised species, takes
precedence over later names for that species.

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Quite
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The Flora of Zimbabwe checklist gives N. lotus and N. maculata as
separate species - http://www.zimbabweflora.co.zw/fams/nymphaeac.html.

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Also Tropicos
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It looks to me as if N. maculata and N. lotus are distinct, but I don't
see the smoking gun.
--
Stewart Robert Hinsley

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Look like it,
PvR

[perhaps there is a cultivar Nymphaea lotus 'Maculata' ?]