Nelumbonaceae, sometimes called the sacred lotus family, is a family of flowering plants, including the single genus Nelumbo with two species, N. lutea (North America) and N. nucifera (widespread in tropical Asia). The family consists of aquatic plants, extant Nelumbo found in North America and Asia (and perhaps some adjacent areas, but widely cultivated). At least four other genera, Nelumbites, Exnelumbites, Paleonelumbo, and Nelumbago, are known from fossils.