Nelumbo nucifera
Flower Color: Brilliant Red
Plant Height: Medium, 24’-47”
Flower Type: Single-petal, Less than 25 petals
Pot Size: 16” and wider, 8”-12” deep
Elegant yet dramatic, Red Makeup is a lotus of vivid contrast—a flower that seems to have adorned itself in its own brilliant cosmetics.
Red Makeup is a striking medium-sized lotus with an intensely saturated crimson-red to magenta color. Its petals are broad, pointed, and elegantly separated, giving the flower a beautifully defined, star-like silhouette. The strong coloration is consistent across the bloom, with subtle shifts from deep wine-red at the outer petals to brighter pink-red where the sunlight reaches the inner surfaces.
The flower has a wonderfully open, architectural form. Rather than being densely layered, its petals radiate outward in distinct tiers, allowing the brilliant center to remain clearly visible. Several of the upper petals rise prominently, giving the bloom a graceful, almost flame-like profile.
Its most distinctive feature is the red-tipped stamens. A dense ring of unusual pink-red filaments surrounds the yellow-green seedpod, creating an almost jeweled border around the center. The warm yellow of the seedpod and occasional golden-orange tones among the stamens provide a beautiful contrast to the surrounding crimson.
The name Red Makeup feels wonderfully appropriate: the flower almost appears to have been deliberately painted, with vivid red pigment defining the petals and a dramatic ring of pink-tipped stamens framing its golden center.