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47-446: Nelumbo nucifera , also known as Padma ( Sanskrit : पद्म, romanized : Padmā , lit.   'Lotus') or Kamala ( Sanskrit : कमल, lit. 'Lotus'), sacred lotus , Indian lotus , or simply lotus , is one of two extant species of aquatic plant in the family Nelumbonaceae . It is sometimes colloquially called a water lily, though this more often refers to members of the family Nymphaeaceae . Lotus plants are adapted to grow in

94-426: A brownish coat. Lotus seeds can remain viable after long periods of dormancy. In 1994, a seed from a sacred lotus, dated at roughly 1,300 years old ± 270 years, was successfully germinated . The traditional sacred lotus is only distantly related to Nymphaea caerulea , but possesses similar chemistry. Both Nymphaea caerulea and Nelumbo nucifera contain the alkaloids nuciferine and aporphine . The genome of

141-760: A fast browning rate. Lotus root tea is consumed in Korea. Lotus root is a popular vegetable in Sri Lanka, where it is often cooked in coconut milk gravy. In India, lotus root (also known as kamala kakaṛī in Hindi ) is cooked as a dry curry or Sabzî . Japan is one of the primary users of the rhizomes, representing about 1% of all vegetables consumed. Japan grows its own lotus but still must import 18,000 tons of lotus rhizome each year, of which China provides 15,000 tons yearly. Rhizomes contain high amounts of starch (31.2%) without characteristic taste or odor. The texture

188-675: A higher yield and higher quality rhizomes than seed or flower lotus cultivars. Furthermore, this group grows tall and produces few to no flowers. Cultivars can be classified by harvest time or by the depth of rhizomes into these types: The main popular Nelumbo nucifera cultivars in China are Elian 1, Elian 4, Elian 5, 9217, Xin 1, and 00–01. The average yield of these cultivars is 7.5–15 t/ha (3.3–6.7 tons/acre) of harvest in July and 30–45 t/ha (13–20 tons/acre) of harvest in September. In Australia,

235-513: A new lotus colony. Under favorable circumstances, the seeds of this aquatic perennial may remain viable for many years, with the oldest recorded lotus germination being from seeds 1,300 years old recovered from a dry lakebed in northeastern China. Therefore, the Chinese regard the plant as a symbol of longevity . It has a very wide native distribution, ranging from central and northern India (at altitudes up to 1,400 m or 4,600 ft in

282-601: A part of branding strategy and to make it easier for voters, BJP started using lotus logo in black-and-white in most settings as Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) in India only allow black-and-white logos. The rhizomes of lotus ( Chinese : 蓮藕 ; pinyin : lián-ǒu , Japanese : 蓮根 , romanized :  renkon , Korean : 연근 or 蓮根 , romanized :  yeongun , Hindi : कमल ककड़ी , romanized :  kamala kakaṛī , Sindhi Beeh, Telugu : అల్లిదుంప , romanized :  alli'dumpa ) are consumed as

329-630: A salad ingredient in Vietnamese cuisine and as a vegetable ingredient for some soup and curry in Thailand, such as keang som sai bua ( Thai : แกงส้มสายบัว , lotus stem sour soup) and keang kati sai bua ( แกงกะทิสายบัว , lotus stem in coconut milk curry). In northern and eastern regions of India, the stalk of the flower is used to prepare a soup, kamala gaṭṭē kī sabzī ( Hindi : कमल गट्टे की सब्ज़ी ) and an appetizer, kamala kakaṛī pakauṛē ( Hindi : कमल ककड़ी पकौड़े ). In South Indian states,

376-409: A suitable stage for eating in approximately six to nine months. Early varieties are harvested in July until September and late varieties from October until March, after the ponds or fields are drained. The large, starch -rich rhizomes are easy to dig out of the drained soil. In small-scale production, they are harvested by hand using fork-like tools. In Japan and on bigger farms, manual labour harvesting

423-690: A unique scent to the soft, moist rice. Padma (Vishnu) Too Many Requests If you report this error to the Wikimedia System Administrators, please include the details below. Request from 172.68.168.133 via cp1102 cp1102, Varnish XID 535835665 Upstream caches: cp1102 int Error: 429, Too Many Requests at Thu, 28 Nov 2024 05:54:25 GMT Thermogenic plants Botanists are not completely sure why thermogenic plants generate large amounts of excess heat, but most agree that it has something to do with increasing pollination rates. The most widely accepted theory states that

470-583: A vegetable in Asian countries, extensively in China, Japan, India, Pakistan ( Sindh ), sold whole or in cut pieces, fresh, frozen, or canned. They are fried or cooked mostly in soups, soaked in syrup or pickled in vinegar (with sugar, chili and garlic). Lotus rhizomes have a crunchy texture and are a classic dish at many banquets, where they are deep-fried, stir-fried, or stuffed with meats or preserved fruits. Salads with prawns , sesame oil or coriander leaves are also popular. Fresh lotus root slices are limited by

517-466: A very long history ( c. 3,000 years) of being cultivated for its edible seeds and is commonly cultivated in water gardens . It is the national flower of India and Vietnam. The lotus is often confused with the true water lilies of the genus Nymphaea , in particular N. caerulea , the "blue lotus." In fact, several older systems, such as the Bentham & Hooker system (which is widely used in

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564-506: Is 1.05–1.9 t/ha (0.5–0.8 tons/acre) of dry seeds and weight of thousand seeds between 1,020 and 1,800 g (36 and 63 oz). Green Jade and Vietnam-Red are recommended cultivars for seed production in Australia. Flower lotus cultivars are used exclusively for ornamental purpose , producing many flowers and the lowest plant height. The seed production of flower lotus is typically poor regarding yield and quality. Flower types differ in

611-554: Is Wanlian. Also known as bowl lotus, wanlians are any miniature cultivars of N. nucifera sized between 5 and 8 centimetres (2.0 and 3.1 in). Bowl lotuses come in various colours and numbers of petals , and they bloom longer than other species of lotus. But together with the rhizome , their seeds are often too small or too hard to be edible. The sacred lotus may be crossed with the yellow lotus to produce interspecific hybrids . A few varieties have been produced with differing appearances. About 70% of lotus for human consumption

658-464: Is an enzyme in the mitochondria organelle and is a part of the electron transport chain. The reduction of mitochondrial redox potential by alternative oxidase increases unproductive respiration. This metabolic process creates an excess of heat which warms thermogenic tissue or organs. Plants containing this alternative oxidase are unaffected by the effects of cyanide because AOX acts as electron acceptor collecting electrons from ubiquinol while bypassing

705-675: Is comparable to a raw potato. The binding and disintegration properties of isolated Nelumbo starch have been compared with maize and potato starch; Nelumbo starch is shown to be superior as an adjuvant in the preparation of tablets . When dried, N. nucifera is also made into flour , another popular use of this vegetable. Lotus pip tea is consumed in Korea. Fresh lotus seeds ( simplified Chinese : 莲子 ; traditional Chinese : 蓮子 ; pinyin : liánzǐ ; Cantonese Yale : lìhnjí ) are nutritious but also vulnerable to microbial contamination , especially fungal infections. Therefore, mostly dry lotus seed-based products are found on

752-461: Is fully replaced by machines. Lotus varieties have been classified according to their use into three types: rhizome lotus, seed lotus, and flower lotus. Varieties that show more than one of these characteristics are classified by the strongest feature. Regarding production area in China, rhizome lotus has the largest area with 200,000 ha (490,000 acres), followed by seed lotus with 20,000 ha (49,000 acres). Rhizome lotus cultivars produce

799-527: Is made from the leaves of the lotus. It is also used as a wrap for steaming rice and sticky rice and other steamed dishes in Southeast Asian cuisine, such as lo mai gai in Chinese cuisine or kao hor bai bua ( Thai : ข้าวห่อใบบัว ), fried rice wrapped in lotus leaf in Thai cuisine. Vietnamese also use lotus leaves to wrap green young rice, cốm , which is eaten in autumn . The leaves impart

846-406: Is mostly used to help spread its pungent odor and attract pollinators. Most thermogenic plants tend to be rather large. This is because the smaller plants do not have enough volume to create a considerable amount of heat. Large plants, on the other hand, have a lot of mass to create and retain heat. Thermogenic plants are also protogynous , meaning that the female part of the plant matures before

893-473: Is produced in China. In 2005, the cultivation area in China was estimated at 300,000 hectares (740,000 acres). A majority of lotus production takes place in managed farming systems in ponds or flooded fields like rice . The most widely used system is crop rotation with rice and vegetables . This system is applicable if the propagule (small piece of rhizome) can be planted early in the year. The rhizomes are harvested in July, after which rice can be planted in

940-612: The University of Adelaide in Australia, found that lotus flowers blooming in the Adelaide Botanic Gardens maintained a temperature of 30–35 °C (86–95 °F), even when the air temperature dropped to 10 °C (50 °F). They suspect the flowers may be doing this to attract cold-blooded insect pollinators . Studies published in the journals Nature and Philosophical Transactions: Biological Sciences in 1996 and 1998 were important contributions in

987-462: The eastern skunk cabbage ( Symplocarpus foetidus ), the elephant foot yam ( Amorphophallus paeoniifolius ), elephant ear ( Philodendron selloum ), lords-and-ladies ( Arum maculatum ), and voodoo lily ( Typhonium venosum ). The titan arum ( Amorphophallus titanum ) uses thermogenically created water vapor to disperse its scent—that of rotting meat—above the cold air that settles over it at night in its natural habitat. Contrary to popular belief,

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1034-435: The flood plains of slow-moving rivers and delta areas. Stands of lotus drop hundreds of thousands of seeds every year to the bottom of the pond. While some sprout immediately and most are eaten by wildlife, the remaining seeds can remain dormant for an extensive period of time as the pond silts in and dries out. During flood conditions, sediments containing these seeds are broken open, and the dormant seeds rehydrate and begin

1081-556: The mud 10–15 cm ( 3 + 7 ⁄ 8 – 5 + 7 ⁄ 8  in) below the soil surface . The stolon is ready to harvest two to three months after planting. It must be harvested before flowering. Harvesting the stolon is done by manual labor. For this step, the field is not drained. The stolon is pulled out of the water by pulling and shaking the young leaves in the shallow water. The first leaves and flowers can be harvested three months after planting. Flowers can be picked every two days during summer and every three days during

1128-636: The protea flowers due to genetic comparisons. Older systems, such as the Cronquist system , place N. nucifera and its relatives in the order Nymphaeles based on anatomical similarities. According to the APG IV classification, the closest relatives of Nelumbo include the sycamores ( Platanaceae ). The lotus roots are planted in pond or river bottom soil, while the leaves float on the water's surface or are held well above it. The leaf stalks (petioles) can be up to 200 cm (6 ft 7 in) long, allowing

1175-468: The western skunk cabbage ( Lysichiton americanus), a close relative from the family Araceae, is not thermogenic. Outside Araceae, the sacred lotus ( Nelumbo nucifera ) is thermogenic and endothermic , able to regulate its flower temperature to a certain range, an ability shared by at least one species in the non-photosynthetic parasitic genus Rhizanthes , Rhizanthes lowii . Many endothermic plant species rely on alternative oxidase (AOX), which

1222-601: The Buddha in most Buddhist temples. Lotus is also widely used in Varamala (hindu wedding garland). Lotus is the national flower of the Republic of India . Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) , the largest political party in the world with around 200 million active members, uses lotus as its party symbol. BJP, in the past, have used lotuses in multiple colors - pink,white,blue,red and saffron, in their party flag. In recent times, as

1269-572: The Chinese variety qian ban lian ("thousand petals lotus") can have between 3000 and 4000 petals in a single blossom and the Japanese variety ohmi myoren ("strange lotus") can have between 2000 and 5000 petals, the greatest number recorded for any species of plant. Researchers report that the lotus has the remarkable ability to regulate the temperature of its flowers within a narrow range, just as humans and other warm-blooded animals do. Roger S. Seymour and Paul Schultze-Motel, physiologists at

1316-605: The Indian subcontinent), refer to the lotus by its old synonym, Nymphaea nelumbo . While all modern plant taxonomy systems agree that this species belongs in the genus Nelumbo , the systems disagree as to which family Nelumbo should be placed in or whether the genus should belong in its own unique family and order. According to the APG IV system, N. nucifera , N. lutea , and their extinct relatives belong in Proteales with

1363-400: The colder season. Four months after planting, the production of flowers has its climax. The harvest of flowers is usually done by hand for three to four months. Seeds and seed pods can be harvested when they turn black four to eight months after planting. After sun drying for two to three days, they are processed by mechanical tools to separate seed coats and embryos. The rhizomes mature to

1410-587: The cultivar grown for the fresh rhizome market in Guangdong and Japan , the common rhizome cultivars are Tenno and Bitchu. The characteristics of seed lotus cultivars are a large number of carpels and seed sets as well as large seeds with better nutritional properties. Roots of these varieties are thin, fibrous, and do not form good rhizomes. The main popular cultivars for seed production in China are Cunsanlian, Xianglian 1, Zilian 2, Jianlian, Ganlian 62, and Taikong 36. The average yield of these cultivars in China

1457-451: The endogenous heat helps in spreading chemicals that attract pollinators to the plant. For example, the Voodoo lily uses heat to help spread its smell of rotting meat. This smell draws in flies which begin to search for the source of the smell. As they search the entire plant for the dead carcass, they pollinate the plant. Other theories state that the heat may provide a heat reward for

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1504-404: The energy-rich tubers can overwinter temperatures below 0 °C (32 °F). If the plants are taken out of the water for wintertime storage (mostly in exceptionally cold climates), the tubers and roots must be stored in a stable, frost-free location, such as a garage, preferably in a cardboard box or container filled completely with vermiculite or perlite . Care must be taken to fully insulate

1551-431: The field of thermoregulation in plants. Two other species known to be able to regulate their temperature include Symplocarpus foetidus and Thaumatophyllum bipinnatifidum . The red tiger lotus is native to West Africa, including Nigeria and Cameroon, and thrives in slow-moving water. A fertilized lotus flower bears fruit that contains a cluster of 10 to 30 seeds. Each seed is ovoid 1–2.5 cm wide by 1–1.5 cm long with

1598-465: The forms of paste , fermented milk, rice wine, ice cream, popcorn ( phool makhana ), and others, with lotus seeds as the main raw material. Traditional Chinese medicine claims that fresh lotus seed wine has thirst-quenching, spleen-healing, and anti-diarrheal advantages after drinking, attributed to unspecified bioactive compounds. Lotus seed tea is consumed in Korea, and lotus embryo tea is consumed in China and Vietnam. Young lotus stems are used as

1645-511: The future to produce high volumes of uniform, true-to-type , disease-free materials. The first step of the cultivation is to plough the dry field. One round of manure is applied after ten days, before flooding the field. To support a quick initial growth, the water level is relatively low and increases when plants grow. Then a maximum of approximately 4,000 per hectare (1,600/acre) with grid spacing of 1.2 by 2 metres (3 ft 11 in × 6 ft 7 in) are used to plant directly into

1692-436: The higher the zone's number, the greater the adaptability of the plants. In the growing season , from April to September (in the northern hemisphere ), the average daytime temperature needed is 23 to 27 °C (73 to 81 °F). In regions with low light levels in winter, the sacred lotus has a period of dormancy . The tubers are not cold-resistant, if removed from water, and exposed to the air; when kept underwater in soil,

1739-545: The lotus stem is sliced, marinated with salt to dry, and the dried slices are fried and used as a side dish. In Kerala ( Malayalam : താമര ) and Tamil Nadu , this end product is called thamara vathal . In the Philippines , an indigenous variety called tukal is used as the main ingredient in dishes with coconut milk. The stems and petals can be bought in markets when in season. In China and Korea, lotus leaf tea ( Korean : 연잎차 , romanized :  yeon'ip-cha )

1786-427: The male part of the same plant. This reduces inbreeding considerably, as such a plant can be fertilized only by pollen from a different plant. This is why thermogenic plants release pungent odors to attract pollinating insects. Thermogenic plants are found in a variety of families, but Araceae in particular contains many such species. Examples from this family include the dead-horse arum ( Helicodiceros muscivorus ),

1833-575: The market. Traditional sun baking combined with charcoal processing dries the seeds but results in a loss of nutrients. Freeze-dried lotus seeds have a longer shelf life and maintain original nutrients, while no differences in flavour are found after rehydration compared to fresh lotus seeds. Dry stored lotus seeds are sensitive to moisture and mold infestation ; researchers continue to explore new ways to preserve fresh lotus seeds, such as radiation processing . Lotus seeds can be processed into fillings for moon cake , lotus seed noodles and food in

1880-402: The number of petals (single petals, double petals, or multi-petals) and their colours range from single colour in white, yellow, pink, and red to bi-colour, most often of white petals with pink tips or highlights. The flowers are capable of producing ink used by artists such as Morrison Polkinghorne to produce abstract images of the landscapes of southern Asia. One example of a flower lotus

1927-445: The plant to grow in water to that depth. The peltate leaf blade or lamina can have a horizontal spread of 1 m (3 ft 3 in). The leaves may be as large as 80 cm (31 in) in diameter. The flowers are usually found on thick stems rising several centimeters above the leaves. They are showy and grow up to 35 cm (14 in) in diameter. Some cultivated varieties have extraordinary numbers of petals. For example,

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1974-443: The pollinator: pollinators are drawn to the flower for its warmth. This theory has less support because most thermogenic plants are found in tropical climates. Yet another theory is that the heat helps protect against frost damage, allowing the plant to germinate and sprout earlier than otherwise. For example, the skunk cabbage generates heat, which allows it to melt its way through a layer of snow in early spring. The heat, however,

2021-770: The rhizomes into the drained field . The rhizomes are then harvested next March. A third way is to plant lotus in ponds or fields and raise aquatic animals such as fish , shrimp , or crab in the same field. A more efficient use of the water for both, the aquatic animals and lotus production has been identified with this planting pattern. Lotus flowers are widely used as offerings to most female deities, especially Lakshmi , in Hindu temples. Among male deities, lotuses are offered to Vishnu for prosperity and to Shiva for salvation. Garlands made of lotuses are used for adorning deities and lotus petals are used in puja . Lotus seeds are also used in prayer beads. Lotuses are also offered to

2068-774: The sacred lotus was sequenced in May 2013. A dedicated genome database lists additional genome assemblies sequenced since then. The sacred lotus grows in water up to 2.5 m (8 ft) deep. The minimum water depth is about 30 cm (12 in). In colder climates, having a deeper water level protects the tubers more effectively, and overall is helpful for better growth and flowering . The sacred lotus germinates at temperatures above 13 °C (55 °F). Most varieties are not naturally cold-hardy, but may readily adapt to living outdoors year-round in USDA hardiness zones 6 through 11 (with some growers having success in zones as low as 4 or 5);

2115-459: The same field. Rice is then harvested in October. From November until March, the field stays either free or terricolous vegetables, such as cabbage or spinach , are planted. Alternatively, the vegetable can also be planted after the harvest of the lotus. Another alternative way is not to harvest the lotus rhizome , even though it is already ripe. A terricolous vegetable is planted between

2162-590: The southern Himalayas), through northern Indochina and East Asia (north to the Amur region ; the Russian populations have sometimes been referred to as Nelumbo komarovii , with isolated locations at the Caspian Sea . Today, the species also occurs in southern India, Sri Lanka, virtually all of Southeast Asia, New Guinea, and northern and eastern Australia, but this is probably the result of human translocations. It has

2209-403: The tubers. The sacred lotus requires a nutrient -rich and loamy soil. In the beginning of the summer period (from March until May in the northern hemisphere), a small part of rhizome with at least one eye is either planted in ponds or directly into a flooded field. There are several other propagation ways via seeds or buds . Furthermore, tissue culture is a promising propagation method for

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