The so-called "sacred lotus" is a flower of the species Nelumbo nucifera. The plants are aquatic perennials originally found in India and surrounding lands. The lotus flower, aside from its appreciable aesthetic beauty, is prized for medicinal and spiritual reasons around Asia, and many of its elements also find their way into regional cuisines. The plant has also been cultivated abroad and is popular in water gardens.
Identification
The plant has several unique features, such as its flowers, ranging from pink to white, which are held above the water, and which can be very large (up to 35 cm in diameter, according naturia.per.sg); the flower blooms for one day only, losing its petals that day. The leaves, also very large, float on the water. The fruit pod of the plant has a characteristic honeycomb appearance, and the seedpods tip out of the plant after ripening.
Types
The sacred lotus is of the family Nelumbonaceae (lotus-like plants) and is related to the Nelumbo lutea (or American lotus), according to the US Department of Agriculture. According to efloras.org, American lotus, which is yellow unlike its Asian relative was spread by migrating Native Americans who used it as a food source. Though found between New York and Florida, and from North Carolina to Missouri, Nelumbo nucifera is indigenous to India and surrounding countries.
Significance
The lotus is an important symbol in both Hinduism and Buddhism. In Hinduism, the spirit of the flower is said to be found within the human being; according to lotussculpture.com, this is the traditional Hindu seat of the soul, or Atman. For Hindus, the lotus symbolizes abundance of both goods and children, and it is imitated in the search to attain higher consciousness through the lotus chakra; Hindu gods are frequently depicted holding the lotus. In Buddhism, according to religionfacts.com, the lotus reflects the journey to Nirvana, as it is rooted in mud but rises above the water toward higher realms. According to naturia.per.sg, it also symbolizes the movement through reincarnation. The lotus is one of the eight auspicious symbols of Buddhism, which also include the conch shell, the endless knot and the wheel (religionfacts.com).
Features
Most of the parts of the lotus flower can be eaten, including the rhizomes (tube-like roots), the seeds and the leaves can be used to as wraps. Thanhsiang.org details a number of the traditional Chinese medicinal uses of the plant, including the drying of the leaves to treat conditions like sunstroke and fever, using the seeds as a sleep aid, and the use of the tubers and stamens for treatment of conditions relating to the blood. Alkaloids confirmed to appear in the lotus have been shown to have analgesic affects, and related substances are used in treating conditions like Parkinson's and erectile dysfunction.
Considerations
In cultivating the plant, it is important to note that it has been known to create too much competition for other plants, and the American lotus is known in some places as a weed. Additionally, some of the purported medicinal uses of lotus have not been verified by experimentation.
