Blue lotus

Every morning, the blue lotus emerges from its calm waters, offering up the enchanting spectacle of its blue-petalled, gold-centered flowers, before disappearing back into the water every night. For the Ancient Egyptians, the aquatic “rebirth” cycle of this spectacular flower—which they regarded as a representation of the sun—gave the blue lotus a divine dimension. While considered a sacred plant, its flowers were also used to make wine and tea, and its leaves, roots and seeds were eaten as a vegetable.