The perianth of cv. Saddabutra lotus flowers comprises about
28 leaf-like organs. About 10–12 petals have all, or part, of their
exterior at the surface of the floral bud. The outer two leafy organs,
considered to be sepals, are less than 2 cmlong. Often thefirst petals
are barely larger than these sepals. The outer petals increase in
size with a more distal position, with a maximum of the length
about 8 cm at petal 15–16. The length then decreases again in more
distal petals. A sharp distinction is found between the petals and
the smaller staminoid petals, which number over 100.