~On Lotus Pond~

~On Lotus Pond~

I am so happy to see the Lotus blooming on our 1 acre pond, planted these last year as seedlings. They are now filled with hundreds of buds, and blossoms!!
Most everything else is withering in the hot summer sun, so I find myself looking these to death! LOL!

July 17 2009

Lotus, elumbo nucifera flower

A common misconception is referring to the lotus as a water-lily (Nymphaea), an entirely different plant as can be seen from the centre of the flower, which clearly lacks the structure that goes on to form the distinctive circular seed pod in the Nelumbo nucifera. It should also be noted that water-lilies come in colors of white to yellow where as the lotus only in hues of pink.
NOW THIS IS SOMETNING I DID NOT KNOW ABOUT THE LOTUS!
When I purchased the three seedling the person at the nercery told me one was red, one white, one pink, they were all pink! So I am now just really happy I purchased a true Lotus!
The reason I purchased seedlings is because a mature plant is around $70.00! OUCH!!!!!!!!! A bit steep for this country bumpkin :O)
The roots of Nelumbo nucifera are planted in the soil of the pond or river bottom, while the leaves float on top of the water surface. The flowers are usually found on thick stems rising several centimeters above the water. The plant normally grows up to a height of about 150 cm and a horizontal spread of up to 3 meters, but some unverified reports place the height as high as over 5 meters. The leaves may be as large as 60 cm in diameter, while the showy flowers can be up to 20 cm in diameter.
The distinctive dried seed heads, which resemble the spouts of watering cansphoto, are widely sold throughout the world for decorative purposes and for dried flower arranging.

MORE INTERESTING FACTS!

The flowers, seeds, young leaves, and “roots” (rhizomes) are all edible. In Asia, the petals are used sometimes for garnish, while the large leaves are used as a wrap for food. In Korea, the leaves and petals are used as a tisane. Yeonkkotcha is made with dried petals of white lotus and yeonipcha is made with the leaves. The rhizome (called ǒu in pinyin Chinese, ngau in Cantonese, bhe in Hindi, renkon (in Japanese), yeongeun ( in Korean) is used as a vegetable in soups, deep-fried, stir-fried, and braised dishes. Petals, leaves, and rhizome can also all be eaten raw, but there is a risk of parasite transmission (e.g., Fasciolopsis buski): it is therefore recommended that they be cooked before eating.
Lotus rootlets are often pickled with rice vinegar, sugar, chili and/or garlic. It has a crunchy texture with sweet-tangy flavours. In Asian cuisine, it is popular with salad, prawns, seasame oil and/or coriander leaves.

Lotus roots have been found to be rich in dietary fiber, vitamin C, potassium, thiamin, riboflavin, vitamin B6, phosphorus, copper, and manganese, while very low in saturated fat.[citation needed]

The stamens can be dried and made into a fragrant herbal tea called liánhuā cha in Chinese, or (particularly in Vietnam)[citation needed] used to impart a scent to tea leaves. The lotus seeds or nuts (called liánzĭ, 蓮子; or xian liánzĭ, in Chinese) are quite versatile, and can be eaten raw or dried and popped like popcorn, phool makhana. They can also be boiled until soft and made into a paste, or boiled with dried longans and rock sugar to make a tong sui (sweet soup). Combined with sugar, lotus seed paste becomes one of the most common ingredients used in pastries such as mooncakes, daifuku, and rice flour pudding.

Various parts of the lotus are also used in traditional Asian herbal medicine.

Borrowed from:
Wikipedia on line free dictionary

These are flowering by the hundreds on the pond, and I am shooting them todeath!!!!!!!
Can you ever have too many shots of such a gorgeous flower?
I had no idea I had purchased a plant with so many food, and madicinal values!!!!

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