Lotus-- The Aquatic flower blooming most beautifully from the deepest and thick mud. It is a perennially blooming flower with striking symmetry and colours. But, this delicate beauty is much more than just a flower. It is a flower of spirituality and meaning as old as time.
Unfurling the Lotus information to know what makes this flower, Oh, so Special!
Lotus Flower Facts
● Lotus is the national flower of both India and Vietnam. Interestingly, it is the Lotus pink flowers that are a national symbol.
● The flower is native to Asia, predominantly to the regions of India and China.
● A Lotus flower grows 49 inches in height and can spread 10 feet horizontally.
● From the stems to the rhizomes, most parts of the flower are edible.
● Lotus flower also has applications in the medicinal industry. It has been used for treating muscle spasms and pains.
● The flower petals open in the morning and close at night.
● The petals of the Lotus have air-pockets to retain buoyancy on the water bodies.
● Lotus is a sacred Buddhist flower.
Further, the Lotus flower beholds a secret meaning and significance that makes it a sacred beauty. Unlike the other flowering plants, Lotus life cycle is different. With its roots padlock in the mud, the flower gets submerged into the water at night and re-blooms the next morning, sparkling clean. That’s the reason why in many cultures, Lotus significance is of re-birth, reemergence, and spiritual enlightenment.
Because of the lotus flower meaning of purity, grace, fertility, self-regeneration, serenity, and everything divine, it is often placed alongside deity figures. In Hindu culture, it is believed that God and Goddesses ride on the Lotus flower, whereas the Buddhists say Buddha appeared atop on the floating Lotus, and his first footsteps on Earth left Lotus blossoms.
Like, each flower colour has its own meaning, so does the lotus flower. The white lotus meaning is of purity and tranquillity, yellow for spiritual ascension according to Buddhist traditions.
The Lotus flower also exhibits a fascinating will to live. The seeds of the flower can survive droughts for more than over 200 hundred years, and are able to germinate after thousands of years.
With Lotus’s ability to resurrect as beautifully as it was last seen; the wax protective coating on its leaves, which ensures it’s beauty remains unaffected every morning, and it’s refusal to accept defeat-- Lotus is emblematic of unwavering faith.
Buddhist proverb edifies, “ Living life with unwavering faith, as the lotus does, ensures the most beautiful revivals.”
Parts Of Lotus Flower
The beautiful, graceful Lotus flower is unique in many ways. But before we jump to the Lotus flower life cycle, we need to understand the parts of lotus flowers. Like any other flower, even lotus flowers have certain parts that need to study. Well, do not worry, we won’t be talking about it in-depth, but the main points that you should know will be covered.
- Let’s start from the bottom that has rhizome roots and to the centre of the flower.
- The leaves and stems grow from the bottom of the plant.
- You would find a large seedpod that has seeds and a receptacle.
- In the middle of the flower, there is a stamen that is visible.
- During summers, the rhizome grows underwater and produces swollen flower buds.
- The stem connected to flower buds is called the peduncle.
- You would notice a bud covered in pale green leaves; it is known as sepals.
These are the parts of lotus flowers that you must be aware of. Now, moving forward with more information about lotus flower, we can discuss the lotus flower life cycle that again will be simple to understand.
Lotus Flower Life Cycle
The lotus life cycle is fascinating. It is not just a flower that grows and dies in a day or two, but it is emerging, and resurrecting has a symbolic significance that makes it interesting. When we desire to send flowers to India, we want something peculiar in nature, and Lotus is one of them. It grows in mud, yet its beauty is undeniable. Like every other flower, the lotus flower life cycle might look simple, but it is not that way.
The same way you have to put the seed, the germination process takes place, then you notice the sprout, the seedlings and eventually, you would see a plant there. After that, a beautiful flower will emerge that will leave the fruit behind. Sounds simple, but the catch is that the roots are covered with mud, the flower every night submerges in water and then re-blooms every morning, fresh, clean and sparkling like always. Because of its daily process, it holds the spiritual meaning of life, death and re-birth. This lotus flower life cycle is much more than it seems, and therefore, it holds a higher place among flowers.
Lotus Flower Information: Growing and Caring
If you are growing Lotus from the rhizomes, then
● Fill a container with the soil and cover it with rhizomes, leaving the pointed tips exposed.
● Submerge the container in warm water while leaving 2 inches above the soil.
● Keep raising the level of water to match the length of the stem.
● When the weather is approximately 16 degrees C and the stems have extended several inches, move the container out.
● Sink the container in the outdoor pond not more than 18 inches from the surface.
If you are growing Lotus from the seeds, then
● Plant seeds in a container of warm water.
● The seeds that float should be thrown away because they are not fertile.
● Change the water every day while the seeds are sprouting.
● Once the Lotus roots emerge, pot them in the outdoor garden. Cover the roots with sand or gravel.
● Seeds should be planted in warm water upto 2 inches deep.
● Lotus containers should not have drainage holes.
About Lotus Flower Care Tips
● Place the Lotus flower pot in a sunny spot
● Overfertilizing can cause the plant to burn
● Protect lotus roots from freezing
● Trim and prune yellow foliage
● The soil in the container should always have 2-4 inches of water over it.
Keep Blooming!!
