Edit the introduction of this paragraph
Growing in water for many years. Herbs, with transverse rhizomes, that is, lotus roots that we eat every day. The leaves are round, above the water, with long petioles and spines, and are peltate. Flowers solitary at the top of pedicel, with a diameter of10 ~ 20 cm; Sepals 5, caducous; Petals are mostly red, pink or white; Most of them are stamens; Carpels are many, free and embedded in sponge receptacle points. Nuts are oval or oval, commonly known as lotus seeds, and are1.5 ~ 2.5 cm long. China's northern and southern provinces are widely cultivated. Lotus is a treasure all over the body. Lotus root, leaf, petiole, lotus stamen and lotus house (receptacle) can be used as medicine to clear heat and stop bleeding. Lotus plumule (embryo of seed) has the effects of clearing away heart fire, strengthening heart and lowering blood pressure; Lotus seeds (nuts) have the effects of invigorating spleen, stopping diarrhea, nourishing heart and benefiting kidney. Lotus root can be used as a vegetable or to extract starch (lotus root powder). Lotus is one of the top ten famous flowers in China. Lotus originally refers to its fruit, commonly known as lotus; After the flower, it is generally called lotus. The hypertrophy part of its underground stem is called lotus root. It is widely planted in the north and south of China, especially in Wuhan and Hangzhou.
Lotus is one of the earliest species and genera of angiosperms. According to the study of fossils by paleobotanists, lotus was distributed in many waters in the northern hemisphere 135 million years ago. It grew on the earth much earlier than the appearance of human ancestors (2 million years ago). Lotus is an ancient plant before the ice age, and it, together with Metasequoia glyplost roboides, Ginkgo biloba, Liriodendron chinese in China, Sequoia sempervirens, etc., are representatives of relict plant who survived the ice age.
According to the different cultivation purposes, it can be divided into three types, namely lotus root, lotus seed and Hualien. Lotus is called lotus root, which mainly produces lotus root, and this kind of species has few flowers; Zilian, which mainly produces lotus seeds, has dense flowers, but its ornamental value is not as good as that of Hualien. Hualien, which is mainly ornamental, is mostly bubble-shaped or petaloid, and often cannot bear fruit.
Lotus likes relatively stable still water, and avoids flowing water with wide fluctuation and heavy wind and waves. Generally, the water depth should not exceed 1.5 meters. The optimum temperature of stems and leaves in the growing season is 25 ~ 30℃. Sufficient sunshine is required, so it is not suitable for long-term indoor cultivation. Clay loam rich in organic matter is suitable for soil quality. Lotus seeds have a very long life span, and thousands of years old lotus seeds can still sprout new plants. Lotus is commonly used to propagate by ramets, and it can also be propagated by sowing. It should be carried out after the spring warming. The main diseases of lotus are rot and leaf spot, and the pests are aphids and scarabs.
It is a traditional method of Chinese gardens to build lotus plants in ponds and build bridges and pavilions by water to form a lotus-watching scenic spot, which is widely used in scenic spots all over the country. It is also suitable for decorating the water surface of the garden, purifying the water body or making potted plants. Lotus root and lotus seed are nutritious and suitable for raw and cooked food. Lotus root can be processed into lotus root powder, candied fruit and so on. Lotus seeds have a calming effect, and are often used as soup or candied fruit, which is a good tonic for China people. Lotus petals and tender leaves can be used as food. All parts of lotus can be used as medicine.
Mystery of waterproof and self-cleaning of lotus leaves;
Numerous micron-sized waxy papillae structures are attached to the surface of lotus leaves. When observing these papillae with electron microscope, we can see that many nano-particles with similar structure are attached to the surface of each micron-sized papillae, which scientists call the micro-nano double structure of lotus leaf. It is these tiny double structures that make the contact area between the surface of lotus leaf and water droplets or dust very limited, so the phenomenon that water droplets roll on the leaf surface and take away dust occurs. And water does not stay on the surface of the lotus leaf.
Scientific explanation of breaking the knot
The inner wall of the plant vessel will be particularly thickened in a certain part, forming various textures, some of which are annular, some are trapezoidal and some are net-shaped. However, the thickened part of the catheter wall of lotus root is continuously spiral, which is called spiral catheter. When the lotus root is broken, the thickened spiral part of the inner wall of the catheter is separated and becomes a spiral filament with a diameter of only 3 ~ 5 microns. These filaments are much like stretched springs, and will not be broken within the elastic limit, and can generally be stretched to about 10 cm.
Edit the history of this lotus.
The scientific name of lotus is Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn, and it belongs to Nelumbo of Nymphaeaceae.
Nelumbo Adans. is one of the earliest species of angiosperms. According to the fossils studied by paleobotanists, 135 million years ago, lotus plants were distributed in many water areas in the northern hemisphere. At that time, in the late period of the sharp decline of giant reptile dinosaurs, it grew on the earth much earlier than the appearance of human ancestors (2 million years ago). According to Paleobotany (1965) by A.H. Christophevich of the former Soviet Union, lotus fossils were found in the Cretaceous strata of North America, amur river Stream in Asia (namely Heilongjiang), Europe and East Asia (Sakhalin Island), and Oligocene and Miocene strata in Japan. In those days, the temperature on the earth was warmer than it is now, and there were about 10~ 12 species of lotus plants distributed in five continents. With the advent of the post-glacial Ice Age, the global temperature dropped, which made many plants extinct, while others were forced to drift away, completely breaking the original geographical distribution. Due to this disaster, two species of Nelumbo survived, and their distribution range was reduced. Chinese lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) is distributed in Asia and northern Oceania, and N.lutea, which drifted to North America. Paleobotanists also pointed out that the lotus fossils from Pleistocene to Holocene (2 million years ago) excavated in Hokkaido and Kyoto, Japan, are similar to modern Chinese lotus; The lotus leaf fossils10 million years ago excavated in Qaidam basin of China are similar to modern Chinese lotus. In the 1970s, China Petroleum Exploration and Development Planning and Research Institute of the Ministry of Petrochemical Industry and Nanjing Institute of Geology and Paleontology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences recorded in the book "Early Tertiary Sporopollen in Coastal Areas of Bohai Sea" that two species of lotus pollen fossils were found in Panshan, Liaoning Province, Beidagang, Tianjin, Kenli, Guangrao, Shandong Province and Cangzhou, Hebei Province. Fossils of lotus plants have also been found in the strata of Changchang basin in Qiongshan, Hainan Island, China, in the Tertiary tropical plant geographical area. At present, the original wild lotus is still distributed in the lakes and swamps of Fuyuan, Hulin, Tongjiang and Shangzhi counties in Heilongjiang Province. The above shows that the lotus is an ancient plant before the ice age, and it belongs to the representatives of relict plant, such as melasequoiagly plostroboides, Ginkgo biloba, Liriodendron chinese in China, Sequoia sempervirens, etc., which were not swallowed by the ice age glaciers and survived.
Edit this paragraph of flower language
Lotus-Innocent. Mud comes out without staining, and it is clear without demon, which means loyalty and purity.
Another way of saying it: the flower language of lotus is faith.
It can be more specific.
Garden Star Anemone: Expect Anemone means wind in Greek. Anemone is an annual herb with a height of about ten to twenty centimeters. In the flowering season, lovely flowers sway in the wind, as if they are looking forward to something, so its flower language is-expectation.
Bai Lianhua, a symbol of regret and nostalgia.
Snow Lotus Leucojumvernum Amaryllidaceae Snow Lotus Flower Language: Pure Heart
It is a bulbous plant with white bell-shaped flowers. The most striking feature is the green spots on the edge of petals, which are clear in style, just like the flower name of snowflake lotus.
Saussurea involucrata, birthday flower on October 10th; Flower language; Defection This is a flower chosen for St Francis Paul Gill, an aristocrat who gave up his title in order to become a missionary teacher. Therefore, saussurea involucrata's flower language is a defect.
Edit this paragraph Buddhism and Lotus
Tianzhu [ancient India] has four kinds of long lotus, namely, green, yellow, red and white. The lotus in Buddhism refers to white lotus, which is called Fantoli flower. Buddhism uses lotus as a metaphor for Buddhism, so there is a wonderful lotus sutra.
First, the origin of Buddhism worship lotus
When people walked into the temple, they looked up and saw the sitting statue of Buddha Sakyamuni, wearing a shoulder-length coat, making a statement by hand, and sitting on the lotus platform. The Buddhist scriptures said that this was the gesture of Buddha Sakyamuni preaching to the believers after he became a Buddha. Amitabha, known as the head of the "Three Sages of the West", is also sitting on the lotus platform, with his hands on his feet and a lotus platform in his palm, which seems to guide all beings to the pure land of the Western Buddhist country. Guanyin, who is famous for her kindness and compassion, is dressed in white, sitting on the Bai Lianhua, holding a pure bottle in one hand and clinging to a white lotus in the other, as if to show Guanyin's pure bodhisattva heart, and fully guide the believers to leave the world and reach the pure land of Buddhism where the lotus is in full bloom.
When reading Buddhist scriptures, people often see that Buddhist scriptures refer to the Buddhist country as "lotus boundary", temples as "lotus house", monks' robes as "lotus clothes", monks' handprints as "lotus flowers crossing their hands", and the "rosary" used by monks is also made of lotus seeds. According to Buddhist scriptures, it is better to use lotus seeds as rosary beads than locust beads. If you pinch them again, you will get "a thousand times" more blessings.
To sum up, Lianhua has forged a close relationship with Buddhism and has become a symbol and sacred flower of Buddhism.
Why does Buddhism worship lotus so much? Briefly, there are two reasons:
First, it is related to the characteristics of lotus.
Lotus, a perennial aquatic plant flower, is not as elegant as peony, nor as aloof and lofty as chrysanthemum, but her characteristics of "emerging from the mud without dyeing" and blooming in the face of cool Xia Jiaoyang have won the supreme worship of Buddhism.
Buddhism believes that "six dusts" are called "six dusts" because the world is full of "six dusts". Due to the pollution and dryness of the "six dusts", the world is full of desire and competition, which makes it difficult for people to be calm and clean. This situation is incompatible with the pure land of Buddhism, which is "far away from dust and dirt". If you want to enter Buddhism, you must stay away from the world, escape into a clean empty door, concentrate on practicing Buddhism, eliminate pollution and dry up. The special attribute of "lotus comes out of the mud without being stained" is consistent with the desire of Buddhist believers in the world not to be polluted by the world, and to keep it clean in order to smoothly enter the pure land Buddha country.
Secondly, it was influenced by the custom of worshipping lotus in ancient India.
As early as before the birth of Buddhism in India, every summer, the scorching sun was burning like fire. On this hot summer day, it was the season when lotus flowers were in full bloom. On summer night or early morning, walking in ponds and lakes where lotus flowers were in full bloom and enjoying lotus flowers, the green water was shaded, pink and lavender were fragrant, which made people pleasing to the eye. The cool breeze Xu Lai and lotus fragrance were emitted from the evergreen trees with the wind, making people feel cool as if they had been washed. Lotus pond has become a summer resort.
In the classic literature of ancient India, the lotus flower is often compared to a beautiful girl. For example, the famous epic Ramayana says, "There is a woman in Siddhartha who looks beautiful, but she is like a lotus root covered with mud, and her shining beauty is never revealed." In addition, in classical literature, the mother of Buddha Sakyamuni was described as having big eyes like lotus flowers.
In Indian Buddhist scriptures, the birth of Sakyamuni is also associated with lotus flowers. According to the Buddhist scriptures, before the birth of Sakyamuni, there were eight kinds of auspicious signs in the imperial palace. Hundreds of birds clustered together, and the flowers of the four seasons were in full bloom together. What is particularly strange is that a Bai Lianhua as big as a wheel suddenly grew in the big pond in the palace, and the white lotus was born when Sakyamuni was born. At the beginning of Sakyamuni's birth, thousands of golden lights flashed in the root of his tongue, and each golden light turned into a Chiba white lotus.
The Buddhist sutra "Hundred Fates Sutra" says that Sakyamuni is the Lotus Prince, and there is also a touching story:
Once upon a time, there was a country in the upper reaches of the Ganges River. The king's name was Polonaise, also known as Lotus King. The country was well run and the people lived and worked in peace. One year, there was an epidemic, and there were many people seeking medicine. When the king saw this, he was merciful and concentrated his court doctors on running around to treat the people. Doctors say that to cure this epidemic, only the flesh and blood of red fish in the northeast river of Beijing can be cured, but there is no such fish in the river at present. After listening to this, the prince threw himself into the river and turned it into a red fish, dedicating himself to treating the people. People have come to cut the flesh and blood of red fish to treat diseases. Strangely, the red fish "came back to life after being cut", and the red fish could not be cut, so it lasted for twelve years until all the people in China were cured. According to Buddhist scriptures, this lotus prince is the later Buddha Sakyamuni.
In the Miscellaneous Treasure Classic, there is also the story of Mrs. Lotus: As early as the time of the world, there lived a spiritual immortal named Tipoyan at the foot of the snow-capped mountain. He often urinates on rocks. One day, a female deer came here to lick a few times, and soon became pregnant and gave birth to a daughter, who was called a deer girl. Later, after Tipoyan learned that the deer girl was her own, she took it and raised it. When the deer girl grows up, there are lotus flowers on her way, so she is also called the lotus girl. When King Utiyan passed by hunting and saw a lotus with seven weights on the ground, he asked around about the deer girl and took her back to the palace as a princess. Deer girl got pregnant soon after she arrived at the palace, and gave birth to 500 sons at a time, all of whom were upright and handsome. When she grew up, she became 500 Hercules and became the protector of the country. The king was overjoyed, and named the Deer Lady as the second lady, who was also known as the Lotus Lady.
In Indian Buddhist scriptures, the classification of lotus is also related to Buddhism, which is very different from today's scientific classification. The meaning of lotus in Buddhism is extensive, including water lilies of different genera and so on.
According to the color of lotus, there are five colors in Buddhist scriptures, such as white, blue, red, purple and yellow, which are called "five kinds of Tianhua". Among them, white and blue are the most popular.
Bai Lianhua, transliterated as Fantoli in Sanskrit, is the largest flower with hundreds of petals, also known as "Bai Ye Hua" in the exam. This peanut grows in the pool of Achinda, a Buddhist country, and it is hard to see in the world, so it is also called "a flower with rare hope", and Buddha Sakyamuni called her "a good flower among people".
Utpala, transliterated in Sanskrit as Youboluo, was named because of its green color. The leaves are long and narrow, slightly rounded near the bottom, and gradually pointed upward, with clear blue and white, resembling Buddha's eyes, so they are not called "lotus eyes" in Buddhist scriptures, that is, the eyes of Guanyin Bodhisattva.
These five kinds of lotus flowers are seated by five empty Tibetan bodhisattvas. The Buddhist scriptures say:
Oriental wisdom is hidden in the void, sitting in utpala and taking a silver cow;
The south can hide in the void, sit on the red lotus and ride the golden elephant;
In the west, I care about hiding in the void, sitting in Bai Lianhua, and riding a glazed horse;
In the north, there is no dirt in the void, sitting in purple lotus flowers and riding lions;
The central government gets rid of the emptiness, sits in the golden lotus and takes the crystal turtle;
There are also lotus petals. According to Buddhist scriptures, there are three kinds of flowers: Renhua, Tianhua and Bodhisattva. There are only a dozen lotus petals for those who are Chinese, hundreds for those who are Tianhua, and thousands for those who are Bodhisattva, which is the most revered thousand (petal) lotus in Buddhism and the symbol of lotus flower in Buddhism.
Second, the beauty of lotus-"four virtues" and "ten virtues"
With the spread of Buddhism and the establishment and development of Pure Land Lotus Sect, the forms and contents of worship of lotus are becoming increasingly colorful. Buddhism beautifies the natural attributes of lotus by analogy with Buddhist teachings, rules and commandments, and gradually forms a perfect worship of lotus, and sums up the virtues of lotus into "four virtues" and "ten virtues".
The Buddhist sutra "Nirvana Sutra" says that Buddha has four virtues, namely, constant, happy, self and pure. The so-called Changde means that the Buddha's nature never leaves, and it has the fixed virtue of "going through three generations without moving, and mixing all kinds of laws without changing". The so-called virtue means that the Buddha is willing to stay away from the suffering of life and death in the world and to die in the pure land of nirvana. The so-called virtue means that although the Buddha is in the world, he has long forgotten the "ecstasy" of ordinary people and has a "true self" with "eight freedoms". The so-called pure virtue means that the Buddha is far away from the dirt in the world without dyeing, just like a clean big round mirror, without fiber.
The Buddha has four virtues, and the Buddhist scriptures also summarize them as "four meanings", corresponding to the "four virtues". According to Hua Yan Jing, "Da Lian Hua Zhe, there are four meanings in Liang She's theory:
Just like Lianhua, it is not stained in the mud, it is more true than the dharma world, and it is not polluted in the world.
Er Ru Lianhua, self-development, is like self-enlightenment compared with truth, and all beings are self-development.
Three, like lotus flowers, are picked by bees, and the truth is used by all saints.
Four virtues, such as lotus flower, have four virtues: one fragrance, two purity, three softness and four loveliness. For example, the four virtues are constant, happy, self and purity. "
"Sanzang Fa Shu" also makes a more detailed summary of the advantages of lotus flower compared with the "Ten Kindness" of Bodhisattva.
Ten Good Ways of Lotus Metaphor Bodhisattva:
1. Bodhisattva's practice, with wisdom, can view all the realms in all dharma, without greedy love. Although he is in the stream of five turbid life and death, he is not stained by the mistakes of life and death, which means that the lotus is out of water and not stained by sludge. (Five turbidity, namely robbery turbidity, sentient beings turbidity, trouble turbidity, seeing turbidity and life turbidity)
2. Don't be evil. Bodhisattva practice, only want to destroy all evil, give birth to all good, in body and mouth, guard purity, not with the slightest evil * * *, metaphor lotus, although tiny drops of water, but not stay.
3. Full of abstinence. Bodhisattva practice, put all the commandments and stick to no offense, so that the precepts can destroy the evil of the body and mouth, and the incense can get rid of the gas of feces. Therefore, as the saying goes, the fragrance is fragrant and fragrant, and it is widely spread and full, which is a metaphor for the lotus flower spreading and spreading, and the wonderful fragrance is widely spread, which is also heard far and near.
4. The body is clean. Because of the precepts, the Bodhisattva's mind and body are clean, but she can be free from pollution. For example, Lotus Watson was naturally clean and free from pollution, although she was in muddy water.
5. look happy. Xi, he looks happy. Yi, joy is also, the bodhisattva's heart is often Zen, then there is no frown on her face, all the phases are perfect, and everyone who sees it is happy. For example, when the lotus blossoms, it makes all the people feel happy and happy.
6. Soft and not astringent. If you are soft, you will be smooth, and if you are not astringent, you will have no stagnation. It means that the Bodhisattva's trip to charity is not hindered by the closing method, and it is filled with the inside and shaped outside. Therefore, the body is often clean, soft and spun, but not rough. It is a metaphor for lotus flowers, and the body is soft and moist.
7. everyone who sees it is lucky. Bodhisattva's achievements in spiritual practice are wonderful, and those who see them are lucky. For example, lotus flowers and fragrant flowers are wonderful, and people who see and dream are lucky.
8. The dressing is sufficient. Bodhisattva's successful practice is full of wisdom and dignity, which means that the lotus flower is in full bloom and its Chinese fruit is full.
9. Mature and clean. Bodhisattva cultivation is round and the wonderful fruit is mature, but Huiguang found that it can make all sentient beings have six clean roots, which is a metaphor for the maturity of lotus flowers. If you see its color with your eyes and smell its fragrance with your nose, the roots will be clean. (Six roots, namely eye root, ear root, nose root, body root and Italian root. )
10. I have thought about it. When the Bodhisattva was born, the immortals and others were protected by Xianle, so that they would be able to practice good deeds and prove the bodhi fruit. For example, when Lotus was born, although there were no flowers, Xiansheng had already thought of Lotus. (Sanskrit Bodhi, Hua Yan Dao)
Although the content of the above analogy is not targeted and comparable, it accurately grasps the delicate and clean characteristics of lotus flowers and the spirit of Buddha, which makes lotus flowers sublimate.
Perennial aquatic herbs. With transverse rhizomes, that is, lotus roots that we eat every day. The leaves are round, above the water, with long petioles and spines, and are peltate. Flowers solitary at the top of pedicel, with a diameter of10 ~ 20 cm; Sepals 5, caducous; Petals are mostly red, pink or white; Stamens are numerous; Carpels are numerous, free and embedded in spongy receptacle points. Nuts are oval or oval, commonly known as lotus seeds, and are1.5 ~ 2.5 cm long. China's northern and southern provinces are widely cultivated. Lotus is a treasure all over the body. Lotus root, leaf, petiole, lotus stamen and lotus house (receptacle) can be used as medicine to clear heat and stop bleeding. Lotus plumule (embryo of seed) has the effects of clearing away heart fire, strengthening heart and lowering blood pressure; Lotus seeds (nuts) have the effects of invigorating spleen, stopping diarrhea, nourishing heart and benefiting kidney. Lotus root can be used as a vegetable or to extract starch (lotus root powder). Lotus is one of the top ten famous flowers in China.
Edit this allusion
According to legend, the lotus flower is the incarnation of Yuji, a beautiful maid around the Queen Mother. At the beginning, Yuji was very envious when she saw the pairs of people, men plowing and women weaving, so she moved her heart and escaped from the Heavenly Palace accompanied by the daughter of the river god and came to the west lake in Hangzhou. The beautiful scenery of the West Lake made Yuji linger, playing in the lake, and reluctant to leave until dawn. When the Queen Mother knew it, she used the lotus throne to drive Yuji into the lake, and told her to "drive into the mud and never go to the south again". Since then, there has been one less beautiful maid in the Heavenly Palace, while there has been one more beautiful flower in the world.
Lotus is a traditional famous flower in China. The flowers and leaves are delicate and delicate, and the flowers are overflowing, which secretes people's hearts. There is a temperament of facing the hot sun without fear and emerging from the mud without being stained. Therefore, in people's minds, lotus is the embodiment of truth, goodness and beauty, the omen of good luck and prosperity, the sacred and clean name in Buddhism, and the seed of friendship.
In the classic literary masterpiece A Dream of Red Mansions, it is said that Qingwen became a Lotus Fairy after her death. Jia Baoyu said in her obituary "The Daughter of Furong" to Qingwen: "If it's quality, it's not worth mentioning; If it is sexual, the lack of ice and snow means that it is clean; If it is a god, the stars and the sun are not enough to describe its essence; If it is a look, then the flowers and the moon are not enough to describe its color. " Although later redology experts think that this is not the author's praise of Daiyu's purity in the name of chanting Qingwen, lotus flowers are always associated with the purity of a daughter.
Supplement 1: Because "lotus" and "pity" have the same sound, there are many poems about lotus in ancient poetry to express love. For example, the Southern Dynasties Yuefu's "Xizhou Qu": "Picking lotus in Nantang autumn, the lotus is over the head; Bow your head and get lotus seeds, which are as green as water. " "Lotus seed" means "Reiko" and "green" means "clear". Here, it is both real and imaginary, and the meaning is pun. The rhetoric of homophonic pun is used to express a woman's deep yearning for the man she loves and the purity of love. Thirty-five of Jin's Forty-two Midnight Songs: "The fog reveals the lotus, but the lotus is not clear." The dew in the fog hides the true face of the lotus, and the lotus leaves are visible but not very clear. This is also a method of homophonic pun to write a woman who vaguely feels that the man loves her.
Supplement 2: Lotus and Buddhism
According to research, the hometown of lotus is in tropical areas such as India, and Indians also regard it as their national flower. Because India is the birthplace of Buddhism, lotus is inextricably linked with Buddhism in India. No matter whether painting or shaping Buddha, the Buddha seat must be a lotus pedestal. Why does the Buddha sit on the lotus? According to the Buddhist scriptures, the main reason is that the Buddhism is solemn and wonderful, while the lotus is soft and clean, big and fragrant, so "the lotus platform, Yan Jing Xiang Miao can sit."
There is also a wonderful story of "Mrs. Lotus" in the Buddhist scriptures. A deer gave birth to a beautiful woman, and the fairy brought her up. Where she walks, lotus flowers will grow. This is the origin of the word "step by step lotus", which is now used to describe the glory of experience.
Classic Poetry: Ailian Shuo (Song) Zhou Dunyi
The flowers of land and water vegetation are very sweet. Jin Tao Yuanming loves chrysanthemums alone. Since Li Tang came, the world has loved peony. To love the lotus alone, the mud is not stained, and it is clear but not demon. It is straight outside, not creeping, and the fragrance is far away and clear. It is slim and graceful, so you can look at it from a distance without being ridiculous. To call chrysanthemum, the hermit of flowers is also; Peony, the flower is rich; Lotus, the gentleman of flowers is also. Hey! The love of chrysanthemum is rarely heard after Tao. Who gives the love of lotus? The love of peony is suitable for many people.
(According to the original, Zhang Boxing Zhengyitang woodcut "The Complete Works of Mr. Zhou Lian Creek" (Volume 8) was sealed by Qingyi.
"Mud comes out without dye, and it is clear without evil." What I'm talking about is lotus. Lotus, one of the top ten famous flowers in China, is called a gentleman among flowers. Since ancient times, a large area of wild lotus has won people's love for its magnificent, simple and generous natural beauty. So that 2500 years ago, people cultivated wild lotus artificially, in order to appreciate its fragrance without leaving home. Until today, we can see it in many parks or large courtyards.
Lotus, a dicotyledonous plant, belongs to the genus Nelumbo of Nymphaeaceae, which includes two species, Chinese lotus and American lotus. Chinese lotus is distributed in Asia and Oceania, and most of them are tall, with oval and green leaves. Among the cultivated varieties, there are single petals, compound petals, double petals, heavy platform and thousand petals, and the flowers are red to white. American lotus is distributed in North America, with short plants, nearly round leaves, dark green, single petals and yellow flowers, which are still in semi-wild state. According to the fossils studied by paleobotanists, as early as10.35 billion years ago, lotus plants were distributed in many water areas in the northern hemisphere. In China, the site of Hemudu Culture discovered in 1973 contains lotus pollen fossils, which are determined to be 7000 years ago. This shows that at least 7000 years ago, lotus was distributed in China and even used as food. Although some information today indicates that the lotus originated in India, according to historical data, China is the origin of the lotus. Lotus has a long history of cultivation in China and has a wide spread. It reaches the northern foot of Tianshan Mountain in the west, Taiwan Province Island in the east, Heilongjiang in the north and Sanya in Hainan in the south. It can be said that China is the world cultivation center of lotus.
Lotus is one of the oldest dicotyledonous plants, and it also has some characteristics of monocotyledonous plants. The embryo of lotus is wrapped in scales, which is similar to monocotyledonous plants. From the flower structure, the lotus has 3 or 4 layers of perianth, sepals in the outer wheel, petals in the inner wheel, many stamens, free pistils, and single-channel boat-shaped pollen grains. The stem of lotus has obvious segmentation phenomenon, and the underground stem nodes are covered with fibrous roots. These are the characteristics of monocotyledonous plants. The buds of lotus are mixed buds, and the lotus buds seen by people with naked eyes are the terminal buds of lotus root and the positions of axillary buds of each node. Roots are divided into seed roots and adventitious roots. The main roots formed by the radicle of seeds are underdeveloped, and the adventitious roots play a functional role. As for the stem of lotus, it is known as lotus root, which is actually the underground rhizome of lotus, and it is the organ for storing nutrients and breeding. The flower of the lotus is solitary and bisexual, which consists of six parts: calyx, corolla, stamen group, pistil group, receptacle and flower stalk. Variety, rich colors.
The fruit of lotus, commonly known as "lotus seed", is rich in nutrition and is loved by people.
Lotus is an aquatic plant, which likes relatively stable calm shallow water, and lakes, marshes and ponds are its suitable habitats. The water requirement of lotus depends on its varieties. The relative water level of large plant-shaped varieties, such as ancient lotus and red chiba, is deeper, but it cannot exceed 1.7 m. The medium and small plant-shaped varieties are only suitable for water depth of 20 ~ 60 cm. At the same time, the lotus is very sensitive to water loss. As long as it is not irrigated for 3 hours in summer, the lotus leaves planted in tanks will languish. If the water is stopped for one day, the lotus leaves will be scorched and the buds will wither. The lotus is also very fond of light, and it needs a full-light environment during its growth period. Lotus is extremely intolerant to shade, so it will show strong phototaxis when growing in semi-shade.
It is said that the lotus "emerges from the mud without being stained", which is a compliment to the lotus's personalized character. In fact, the underground stems of lotus grow in mud, how can they not be infected by toxic substances? Because the extremely fine epidermis tissue of lotus root and the lower epidermis containing tannin have a certain ability to block or absorb toxic substances, toxic substances mostly adhere to or penetrate into the epidermis, which is invisible to the naked eye. Therefore, remember to peel off the skin when eating lotus root, and don't eat toxic substances into your stomach.