Family: Nelumbonaceae
Common name: Lotus, Indian lotus, Sacred lotus, Chinese arrowroot, East Indian lotus, Chinese waterlily, Water bean, Egyptian sacred bean, Padma, Eastern lotus, Teratai
Lotus is a beautiful aquatic plant that is the national flower of India, and it also has deep cultural and spiritual significance across many Asian traditions.
Plant characteristics
Lotus plants are native to India and South East Asia, but they have now been introduced to many other Asian countries successfully by humans. They thrive in ponds and water bodies, natural or man-made, with leaves and flowers standing high above the surface of the water.
The plant can grow to a height of 150-200 cm which is the length of the leaf petioles raising the plant above the water. Leaves have thick fleshy petioles, and a waxy coating on its surface to keep it dry. They are round and green with a slightly wavy margin, 60-80 cm in diameter giving the plant a spread of about 1 meter.
Lotus flowers are the most amazing creations, so pristine and delicate though it grows from the dirt. The vary in color from white, pink, to cream lasting for about 2-3 days before they sink below the surface to form fruits.
There are variants with a single layer of petals, double layer, multi-layered, even ones with over 1000 petals (thousand petals lotus). The fruit is very unique and interesting – a receptacle which looks like a sieve containing multiple seeds. The seeds can remain viable for many years, germinating only when the conditions are favorable.
Gardening tips
To grow lotus in gardens, prepare a water body that is 40-80 cm deep, prepare the bottom with a mixture of clayey soil from ponds or rivers, and normal garden soil. You can use plastic, cement, strong clay pots for this.
They need bright sunlight for a good 5-6 hours a day for flowering. Fertilization can be done once a month with normal garden fertilizers like cow dung or bone meal. Dig a little into the bottom of the soil and insert the fertilizers inside so that they don’t float on the surface.
Uses of Lotus
Many parts of the Lotus are used in various cuisines – especially the root, stem and the seeds. Lotus roots are creamish white in color with flower-like perforations in the cross section. They are cooked like vegetables, pickled, fried, baked, used in salads, soups, or even made into lotus stem tea.
Seeds are usually sun-dried, or processed into pastes, rice wine, ice cream, milk, or even popped. Popped lotus seeds called Makhana is a very popular healthy snack in India. Lotus stem is used in soups and curries. Leaves are used to make tea, and also to wrap food items because of their waxy coating. Lotus flowers are also used to making tea.
Lotus has religious significance in Hinduism and Buddhism. It is said to be the favorite flower of Hindu gods, and are used in pujas and religious ceremonies. Lord Vishnu is named ‘Kamal nayan’ or Lotus eyes since he is said to have eyes like lotus. Lord Brahma and Goddess Lakshmi are usually depicted as seated on lotus flowers. Lotus flowers are held by many sculptures in ancient caves.
Lotus plants have medicinal properties and have been used in Ayurveda, folk, and traditional Chinese medicine to treat fever, inflammation, indigestion, insomnia, skin diseases, fungal infections, and more. In many cultures, the lotus flower symbolizes purity and longevity since the lotus seeds can stay dormant for decades before they germinate.
Propagation
Propagation is through rhizomes and seeds. Seeds needs to be slightly broken before they are planted. Small pieces of the root or rhizomes can be separated from the parent plant carefully and replanted.
Photographed at: Nandi hills area, Bangalore
