Lotus Flowers, Valerian & Herbs

Lotus flowers, valerian and dried herbs at Mycotrop

The ten products on this page come from two suppliers. Herborist packs dried plant material in kraft pouches with a printed label that names the plant in English and Latin. Indian Elements uses a tall kraft bag with a clear window; its lotus labels give the common name and a weight, but no Latin name. On each product page, the photo and the label text show what the pack holds: petals, dried flowers, cut leaves or capsules.

The range at a glance

Three lotus colours, two plant families

In the trade, “lotus” covers two separate groups of water plants. Blue lotus is Nymphaea caerulea, a water lily of the family Nymphaeaceae, native from Egypt to southern Africa. Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP) does not keep it as a separate species: there it is a variety, Nymphaea nouchali var. caerulea. Pink lotus is Nelumbo nucifera, family Nelumbonaceae, native from southern European Russia and Iran to India, China and Japan. The Indian Elements labels for blue and white lotus flower name no species, so the shop does not add one.

Herbs from Europe and southern Africa

Wild lettuce (Lactuca virosa) and wormwood (Artemisia absinthium) both belong to the family Asteraceae. According to the supplier listings, the wild lettuce leaves come from France and the wormwood herb from Hungary, two countries inside the native ranges recorded by WCVP. Marshmallow (Althaea officinalis, Malvaceae) is native from Europe and North Africa to Central Asia, and skullcap (Scutellaria galericulata, Lamiaceae) across the temperate Northern Hemisphere, in Europe, temperate Asia and North America. Wild dagga (Leonotis leonurus, Lamiaceae) is a shrub from South Africa; its orange-red flowers come in 25 g or 100 g. Valerian (Valeriana officinalis, Caprifoliaceae) is the only product in capsules, 60 per pack.

Packaging and delivery

Herborist pouches carry a label with the plant name, the Latin name and a tag for the plant part. The Indian Elements bags have a clear window that shows the contents: dried flowers for the two lotus products, capsules for the valerian. All products are sold strictly as collectible or souvenir items. We pack orders on business days; the outer packaging is neutral and says nothing about what is inside, and if the parcel can be tracked, the link reaches you by email once it has left. Further dried botanicals are listed in Smart Seeds & Herbs, the complete range sits in the Smartshop, and the delivery terms are linked in the strip under the introduction.

Frequently asked questions

Are blue lotus and pink lotus the same plant?

No. Blue lotus is Nymphaea caerulea, a water lily (Nymphaeaceae). Pink lotus is Nelumbo nucifera, which belongs to a different family, Nelumbonaceae.

Why do some lotus products have no Latin name?

The Indian Elements labels for blue and white lotus flower print only the common name and a weight. Mycotrop does not add a species that the label does not state.

Which pack sizes are available?

Most herbs come in 50 g, 250 g and 1 kg; wormwood comes in 100 g, 500 g and 1 kg. The lotus flowers start at 25 g, pink lotus and wild dagga stop at 100 g, and valerian is sold as one pack of 60 capsules.

Where do the herbs come from?

The supplier listings give France for the wild lettuce and Hungary for the wormwood. No country of origin is stated for the other products, so this page gives none.

Who supplies these products?

Seven products carry the Herborist label. The other three come from Indian Elements: blue lotus flower, white lotus flower and valerian capsules.