Abstract Fossil leaves of Nelumbo jiayinensis sp. nov. are described from the Yong'ancun Formation (Santonian) in Jiayin, Heilongjiang, Northeast China. This is the first report on fossil Nelumbo from the Upper Cretaceous of China. The leaves are simple with entire margins, orbicular or sub-orbicular in shape, with a peltate and symmetric lamina. The venation is actinodromous with 20–25 primary veins, the secondary and tertiary veins are poorly developed and interweave into meshes. The areoles are irregularly polygonal in shape and well developed both in upper and lower surfaces. Combined with data derived from associated fossil mega-plants, spores and pollen, bivalves and dinosaur footprints, the aquatic angiosperm Nelumbo existed in a fluviolacustrine environment under a warm but seasonal temperate climate.