from erowid:
FAMILY : Nymphaeaceae
GENUS : Nymphaea
SPECIES : caerulea, nouchali var. caerulea
COMMON NAMES : Blue Lotus, Egyptian Lotus, Blue Water Lily, Sacred Narcotic Lily of the Nile
NOTE :
Nymphaea caerulea, (Blue Lotus) is often confused with Agapanthus africanus (Blue Lily). Though the two plants look nothing alike (aside from being blue), both Nymphaea caerulea and Agapanthus africanus are sometimes refered to as the "blue lily". "Blue lily" seems to be a more accurate name for Agapanthus africanus. Nymphaea caerulea is more commonly called the "blue lotus" or "blue water lily". It is Nymphaea caerulea (Blue Lotus) which may have been used in ancient Egypt as an entheogen.
Nymphaea caerulea (Blue Lotus) is a water plant growing on the shores of lakes and rivers. Agapanthus africanus (Blue Lily) is a drought tolerant plant which is commonly used as a landscaping plant in the U.S.
IDENTIFICATION :
Nymphaea caerulea has light blue flowers. Other similar varietis have purple, pink, or white flowers.
Nymphaea ampla - similar psychoactivity but has white flowers
Nymphaea lotus L. - White lotus
Nymphaea nelumba L - Red lotus
CULTIVATION :
Nymphaea caerulea flowers in the spring, should be planted in sunny positions in medium or clay loam.
HABITAT :
Grows along lakes and rivers in wet soil. Indigenous to Tanzania, Kenya
INFORMATION :
Represented in ancient Egyptian art. The blue lotus was found scattered over Tutankhamen's body when the Pharaoh's tomb was opened in 1922. Many historians thought it was a purely symbolic flower, but there may be some reason to believe that ancient Egyptians used it to induce an ecstatic state, stimulation, and/or hallucinations.
Kenya
Examining some relationships between selected plant species in greater detail, teams have determined that the beautiful native blue water-lily, Nymphaea caerulea, can grow successfully only in locations free from damage by the floating plant raft; but there is a constant "see-saw" between lily germination from seeds in the lake mud and the destruction of these new plants by wind-blown rafts. Thus the areas of the lake where lilies last long enough to flower and set seed change every year, depending upon water level and raft area. Teams constantly survey the lake for lilies to build a dynamic picture of the changes. (
http://gaia.earthwatch.org/g/Gharper.html)
ACTIVE CONSTITUENTS :
Rumored to contain aporphine or apomorphine (6a-beta-aporphine-10,11-diol [Merck]) - a dopamine agonist - as well as perhaps nuciferine (1,2-dimethoxy-aporphine).
