In China, lotus are classified based on four characteristics:
1) plant height:
exquisites (smallest of bowl lotus)
bowl (<13”)
dwarf (1-2’)
medium (2-4’)
large (4-8’)
2) flower diameter
3) flower type:
single or few (<25 petals
semi-double (25-50 petals)
double or multi-petal (>50 petals)
4) flower color:
red
pink
white
yellow
versicolor
changeable
The considerable variation in flower color and shape, while making the lotus one of the most popular ornamental and cultivated plants in Asia, has also made it hard to develop a standard system of identification. Classification is further complicated because the final size of a lotus is determined by many factors, including the amount of sunlight, the size of the container or growing area, and the amount of fertilization available. Researchers at Auburn University, directed by Dr. Ken Tilt, PhD, are working in conjunction with the International Waterlily and Water Gardening Society to develop a uniform system of identification for known ornamental cultivars based on plant size, flower color and flower form.
For plant size, a simple system using the classifications of miniature, small, medium, and large has been suggested. The categories suggested for flower type are more descriptive than the Chinese categories, using single (<25 petals), double (25-50 petals), multi-petal (>50+ petals) and thousand-petal (many petals). Dr. Diake Tian, PhD, explains the category of thousand-petal as a special case of double flower form. It is a particularly useful term in horticulture because this concept presents a good image of the flower when the number of petals ranges from several hundred to one thousand or even more. It is a concept with strong background in Chinese culture. It means the flower has many petals, many more than the normal double flower lotus. Here a thousand is not exactly equal to 1000!
You will find the lotus in our Shopping Cart classified using elements from both systems.
for a research project conducted by the university to study the possibilities of forcing lotus in greenhouses for the commercial market. 
Dr. Ken Tilt, PhD, from Auburn works with Bill to monitor growth of lotus
Ten Mile Creek Nursery specializes in presenting a fresh new selection of lotus intended for growing in containers to be used in ornamental ponds or on your patio. For those with even more limited space, we recommend an exquisite of bowl lotus. These are bred by the Chinese to be grown in the smallest containers, less than 11” in diameter, although they will grow in larger containers as well.
