Why is lotus recognized as the center of summer flowers?

When it comes to the center of summer flowers, the lotus is undoubtedly the one to take the spotlight.

In the hot summer, lakes and ponds are covered with lotus leaves and flowers are in full bloom. It is very pleasant to go boating among the lotus leaves or admire the lotus pond.

Appreciating lotus flowers has been a hobby of scholars since ancient times. Today, it has become a hobby of the general public.

In addition to being an ornamental flower, lotus also has extremely high edible and medicinal value and contains rich cultural connotations.

1

The whole body is a treasure

Lotus is one of the top ten famous flowers in my country and is a herbaceous plant belonging to the genus Nelumbo in the family Nymphaeaceae.

Its root is called lotus root, which is thick and has many nodes, growing horizontally in the mud.

Lotus is world-famous for its bright and diverse flowers. The petite flowers are cute, the large flowers are beautiful, the ones with many petals appear dignified, the ones with fewer petals look elegant, the white ones feel elegant, and the red ones appear gorgeous.

Blooming lotus (Source: Flower Network)

The lotus is one of the most widely cultivated ornamental aquatic plants in the world, with more than 2,000 varieties.

According to its uses, it is divided into three types: flower lotus, lotus root and seed lotus. Among them, flower lotus is mainly for ornamental purposes, while seed lotus and lotus root are mainly for edible and medicinal purposes.

Potted water lilies belong to the category of water lilies. Lotus seeds and lotus roots are excellent ingredients. Lotus roots can be used for salad dressing and soup; lotus seeds can be added to porridge and can be made into candied fruit. Ancient people often used lotus leaves to make lotus leaf porridge and lotus leaf tea to cool off.

Lotus, lotus leaves, lotus pods, lotus seeds, etc. contain rich medicinal ingredients, such as nelumboline and nelumboline, which have the effects of stopping bleeding, promoting tissue regeneration, clearing away heat and detoxifying, and calming the mind and refreshing the mind. Among them, nelumboline can decompose fat, and drinking it as tea can help lose weight.

More than 300 years ago, the Chinese medicine classic "Compendium of Materia Medica" pointed out that lotus leaves, lotus seeds, lotus stamens, lotus stems, lotus nodes, etc. can all be used as medicine, and it can be said that "the whole body is a treasure."

The whole lotus can be used as medicine (Source: Health News)

In addition, lotus also has the function of purifying the environment. Because of its well-developed root system, it can absorb harmful substances such as heavy metal ions in the water, which can effectively improve the water quality and thus maintain the ecological balance. This is also one of the main reasons for planting lotus in urban parks and courtyards.

2

High tourism value

Since the new century, with the improvement of people's requirements for environmental greening and spiritual needs, and the increase in waterscape projects, the lotus industry, which mainly focuses on ornamental lotus, has developed greatly and become an important carrier of agricultural eco-tourism.

The lotus has the characteristics of fragrance, bright colors, and round leaves, making it the first choice for landscaping projects and water surface greening. Therefore, the lotus is widely used in urban gardens and lake landscaping construction.

Specifically, when designing plant configuration, we should use contrast or analogy to reasonably configure the leaf shape, flower shape, flower color, etc., so as to present different effects. For example, if we keep the same type of water lilies in one pond and the seed lotus with similar flowering period in another pond, we will have different lotus scenes.

Landscape gardens featuring lotus as the main feature have unique applications and are very popular among tourists. Representative examples include the Wuhan Botanical Garden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Lotus Villa in Dazu, Chongqing, the Lotus Grand View Garden in Baiyangdian, Hebei, and the West Lake in Zhejiang.

The lotus plays four roles in these garden landscapes: first, it is the main flower for viewing in summer, reflecting its central role; second, it is used as material for potted plants, bonsai and flower arrangement teaching; third, it is used in food or as a medicinal tonic; and fourth, it spreads the lotus culture with a long history and profound meaning.

A view of the Lotus Grand View Garden in Baiyangdian, Hebei (source see watermark)

At present, all parts of my country are vigorously promoting the planting of lotus, building and promoting the lotus cultural industry, using lotus sightseeing to drive the tourism industry, and promoting the development of the agricultural economy. This is a reaffirmation of the value of lotus in the new era.

3

Deep cultural implications

As mentioned earlier, one of the reasons why lotus shines in eco-tourism is that it has a long history and profound cultural significance and is deeply loved by people.

Lotus is one of the earliest angiosperms, known as the "living fossil" of aquatic plants. According to research, lotus has existed for more than 100 million years. More than 3,000 years ago, the lower-class people in prehistoric times discovered and learned to grow this plant with strong vitality and eat its lotus seeds and lotus roots. "When fish and dragons emerge, the marshes and lakes dry up, and when the marshes and lakes dry up, the lotus roots are dug up," the Book of Zhou records.

Around the late Spring and Autumn Period, lotus became an ornamental plant and was moved by nobles to be planted in gardens.

Since then, people have planted lotus everywhere, and literati have been singing about it. The popularity of lotus reached its peak in the Song Dynasty. In the Northern Song Dynasty, lotus was not only planted in the royal garden Jujing Garden, but also widely distributed in the West Lake, which was known as "three autumn osmanthus, ten miles of lotus". According to historical records, in the midsummer season, the lotus in the West Lake was in full bloom, and it was set against the newly built Su Causeway, which was a combination of natural beauty and artificial beauty.

Among the poems and essays that praise lotus throughout the ages, the most famous one is "On the Love of Lotus" by the great Confucian scholar Zhou Dunyi of the Song Dynasty. This famous essay, which was selected into the junior high school Chinese textbook, praises lotus as "the gentleman among flowers" and expresses its integrity of "coming out of the mud without being stained". Since then, the profound humanistic connotation of lotus has been fixed.

"On the Love of Lotus" for home decoration (source see watermark)

In addition, because "荷" (lotus) and "和" (harmony) are homophones, and "莲" (lotus) and "连" (link) are homophones, lotus has always been regarded as a symbol of friendship. As a traditional famous flower in my country, lotus is the embodiment of truth, goodness and beauty, and the seed of friendship in people's minds. Today, lotus has been regarded as a cultural symbol of world peace. Meeting rooms for receiving foreign guests usually place lotus flowers with deep meanings.

4

There is a science to appreciating lotus

A pond of lotus flowers decorates the entire summer.

There is a lot of knowledge involved in appreciating lotus in midsummer. How can you enjoy the fragrant lotus flowers filling the pond in midsummer?

Only by understanding some basic elements can you appreciate the lotus.

First, you need to know the viewing time. Lotus flowers usually bloom in the fifth month of the lunar calendar, and bloom in June or July. In some places, they bloom until early autumn or mid-autumn. The flowering period is three or four months, and they usually bloom in the morning and close in the evening. So it is better to view them in the morning than in the afternoon.

Second, understand the viewing method. From a distance, you can enjoy the panoramic view, which is refreshing; from close up, you can appreciate the flowers and leaves and appreciate the beauty of the flowers; if conditions permit, you can row a boat to appreciate the lotus and feel the fragrance of the flowers and the coolness of the water.

Only by properly understanding the lotus culture can we appreciate the lotus in depth. Appreciating the lotus is to appreciate the scenery of the lotus on the surface, but it is also to accept the spiritual baptism of the lotus culture on a deeper level. This is especially true when taking children to appreciate the lotus. Explain to the children the origin of lotus planting and its aesthetic significance, and recite poems about lotus together. This will make the appreciation of lotus more meaningful.

Only by taking valuable photos can you make your trip worthwhile. It is very common to take photos while appreciating lotus. Many people take a lot of photos of lotus. After carefully looking through them, they are basically the same and have no preservation value. In fact, in the face of beautiful lotus scenery, in addition to professional photography, the shooting angle is very important. If it is a pure lotus scene photo, it is recommended to choose a unique point, choose the difference between the flowers and leaves; if it is a combination of people and flowers, it is recommended to choose a point where the person and the lotus complement each other.

There is a criterion for testing whether the shooting is successful or not, that is, whether each photo can be named with a unique name, such as "Lotus Leaves Reaching the Sky", "Lotus in the Rain and Wind Rolling Green Silk Skirt", "Human Face and Lotus Reflect Red", etc. Only by shooting with such care can we do justice to the lotus that is the center of the summer.

The rain lotus wind rolls up the green silk skirt (Source: Flower Network)

References:

1. "Analysis of floral organ phenotypic traits and flower color diversity of lotus varieties", by Wu Fangfang, Yuan Xin, etc., Journal of Henan Agricultural University, No. 1, 2020

2. "Application and Development Strategies of Lotus Ornament in Agricultural Ecotourism", author Bao Jianzhong, "Modern Agricultural Science and Technology", Issue 2, 2011

3. "Lotus Records: Millennium Lotus Charms in the Museum", sourced from the official website of Zhejiang Provincial Museum

END

Author: Wei Deyong, member of Shenzhen Writers Association, Guangdong

Editor: Guru