Lotus: The sacred relic is closer than you think. Flower Lotus description and photo Is there a black lotus

Lotus - the sacred flower of the East - attracts many pilgrims who want to touch this shrine. Even people who are far from Buddhism, mysticism and other spiritual materialism will not remain indifferent when they see this incredibly beautiful picture at least once.

However, not every enlightened adept knows that in order to admire blooming lotuses, one does not need to go to distant lands at all! Lotuses grow in Russia too. In order to personally enjoy this spectacle, just guess the time of flowering and use the map of the area.

Picking lotuses is a stupid occupation, because the flower dries up after a few hours. But you need to see them live at least once - no photo or video frames will convey the honey-spicy aroma of flowers, the tenderness of their petals, the warmth of the leaves velvety to the touch. In a word, everyone should take a chance and see this miracle with their own eyes.

In order to live admire the flowering of this exotic plant for many, it is enough to visit the Krasnodar Territory, the Astrakhan Region and the Far East in the summer, where this tropical plant adapted as early as the Cretaceous period of the Mesozoic era and is still growing.

It is pleasant to note that some lotus lakes appeared due to the labors and efforts of man.

Lotuses in Russia: see with your own eyes

Astrakhan region

July-September

Volga Delta (For example, N46 13.632 E48 31.92). Lotuses are distributed almost everywhere in the delta; they grow in ilmens, bays, on the seashore, along the banks of numerous channels.

Erik Nikitin (you need to get to the village of Trudfront by crossing Bakhtemir by ferry) and then navigate on the spot

Erike Koshevanka, where it is even easier to get there. It is enough to leave Astrakhan through the northern part and go to the east. Before Volodarskoye, turn south and, after passing the villages of Stary Altynzhar and Altynzhar, in the Tumak area, turn right onto the bridge over the Koshevanka. Lotus Valley is located on both sides of the bridge (N46 14.077 E48 31.627)

Uvary village (Kamyzyaksky district)

Krasnodar region

: late June - mid August

The lotus pond is located near the village of Sheremetyevskoye (Tbilisi region). The lake is located near the highway R-251Temryuk-Krasnodar-Kropotkin

Sinyukha River (Tbilisi region). The place is interesting because white, yellow and pink lotuses of two types bloom there at once (Far Eastern and Caspian)

Akhtanizovsky estuary (Temryuk district)

Stanitsa Golubitskaya (Temryuksky district)

Stanitsa Maryanskaya (Krasnodar region)

Stanitsa Staronizhesteblievskaya (Krasnoarmeisky district). Created a miracle Alexander Finger

The village of Belozerny (10 km from Krasnodar). The lake is located on the left after the village, next to it is a blue and white chapel

Krasnodar. Lotuses and water lilies grow in the Safari Park on Sunny Island

Taman. After driving along the Temryuk-Strelka road, near the bridge over Kazachiy Yerik, turn onto the exit and follow the signs "Lotus". The path from there will run through a man-made canal (more than 200 years ago, the Cossacks dug it to connect the Akhtanizovsky estuary with the fresh water of the Kuban River). On a small boat, the journey to the valley will take about 15 minutes

Botanical Garden of Kuban State University

Amurskaya Oblast

mid-July - mid-August

Lake Dolgoe (Arkharinsk district) territory of the Khingan Reserve. In this reserve are the largest thickets of lotus

Ivanovka village (Ivanovsky district). The artificial lake is located on the territory of the park of culture and recreation

The village of Sagibovo (Arkharinsk district). Lake Crooked

The village of Voikovo (Konstantinovsky district). Lake Aspen

Lake Smirnovo (Mikhailovsky district). The lake is located 7 km from the village of Kalinino

Lake Tsvetochnoe (Arkharinskiy district). The lake is located 25 km from the village. Novopokrovka

Zeya River

Primorsky Krai

Flowering time: mid-July - mid-August

Lesnoye village (Lesozavodsky district)

Lake Pants (Yakovlevsky district)

Lake Khanka

Hand Ussuri

Prikhankay lowland

Khasansky district

City of Arseniev. A few years ago, thanks to young naturalists, several lotuses appeared on the lake.

Arsenyevka river

The village of Andreevka (Yakovlevsky district). Lotuses can be seen in the Bolshoi Lake (although this lake could not be found on the maps)

Kirovsky district. Lakes in the area of ​​the village of Pavlo-Fedorovka, in the village of Lugovoy and on Ostraya Sopka

Okeanskaya station (suburb of Vladivostok). Here, in a fenced area near the sea, there is a small lake covered with dense thickets of lotus

Putyatin Island. The lotus lake is located on Putyatin Island, where tourists are brought by boat for a small amount (stock up on rubber boots). The island can also be reached from the Danube village by ferry.

The village of Novogordeevka (Anuchinsky district, Arsenyevskaya highway). The lake is next to the road.

The village of Razdolnoye (Nadezhda district). Lotus lake is located four kilometers from Razdolnoe

The village of Kronstadtka (Spassky district)

Khabarovsk region

Flowering time: end of July - beginning of August

Amur river basin

Lake near the village of Nikolaevka (Smidovichi district). The lake can be found by driving along the Birobidzhan highway

Lake near the village of Galkino (Khabarovsk region). Having turned near the village towards the highway Khabarovsk - Komsomolsk on the Amur, you need to drive 5 minutes. Here the lotus is grown artificially

Sheremetyevo lakes

Lake Vidnoe

Ussuri Island

Pemzenskaya duct

Ulika-National village

Bureya river

Lotus is one of the most ancient flowers on earth- they existed already in the Cretaceous period, more than 100 million years ago. Their fossils are found in North America, the Far East, and even in the Arctic. In our time, there are, strictly speaking, only two types of purebred lotuses.

Lotus yellow (Nelumbo lute a) lives on the Atlantic coast of North and Central America, on the Hawaiian Islands. The Indians of the local tribes call it "chinkepin", or small water chestnut, - this is for its fruits, which taste like chestnuts.

Lotus Indian, or walnut (N. nucifera), is an inhabitant of the Eastern Hemisphere, he lives in warm and hot regions of South and East Asia, in southern Japan, in India and China, in the Philippines and northeast Australia. This lotus also grows in our country - in the Far East, in Transcaucasia and in the Volga delta. True, to be scrupulously accurate, it should be noted that some botanists assign the status of an independent species lotus of the Caspian Sea (N. caspicum).

The Volga Delta is the northernmost point of distribution of the lotus and the only place in Europe where you can still see the legendary flower growing in freedom. The total area it occupies here is about 60 hectares. The fact that you can still admire the lotus on the Volga, we largely owe to the creation of the Astrakhan Reserve - the first Soviet reserve, established in 1919, when the lotus was threatened with complete extinction here.

Interestingly, in the late 60s, the thickets of lotus flowers suddenly began to increase rapidly. At first it caused surprise, but then everything cleared up. Due to the drop in the level of the Caspian Sea, many estuaries, backwaters, and shallow lakes were formed, where the water warmed up very well, creating conditions close to familiar and familiar to the lotus: it loves shallow water.

And yet the lotus has a hard time, it still requires care and protection. Often its flowers die in bouquets of exotic lovers. The lotus fields also thin out when the moisture leaves when the land is drained. Nutrient rhizomes of the plant are eaten with pleasure by various local living creatures, especially wild pigs (“even the dung beetle has a desire to eat lotus honey,” says a Bengali proverb). Yes, and livestock does not pass by the appetizing stems and rhizomes of the lotus.

So that a beautiful flower does not disappear on our land

We have to protect him by all means. And the lotus is very beautiful, especially during the flowering period, which occurs on the Volga in August. Its buds open with the first rays of the sun. At first, the petals are bright pink, but gradually turn pale, and the flowering thickets turn red with the whole gamut of shades of pink. The flower heads, lush and large, about 30 cm in size, sit on long curved legs, stretching almost two meters in height. And below them on long petioles are leaves, thyroid, more than half a meter in diameter, covered with a gray-green wax coating, with a deep depression in the middle.

Some of the leaves are floating, some are underwater. Lotus flowers always face the sun: they are said by botanists to have positive heliotropism. Just below the place where the flower is attached to the pedicel, there is a kind of sensitive receiver of light radiation. It is in this place that the flower changes its position, following the luminary floating across the sky.

When the lotus petals fall, the receptacle grows and becomes like a funnel of a home shower, only with holes facing upwards, and in each hole there is a fruit. The ripe fruit breaks off, falls into the water and floats until it rots. Then the nuts fall out, sinking to the bottom. Here they can lie for a very long time - it is not for nothing that the lotus is called the champion in seed survivability.

Once in Japan, in a peat bog, three lotus seeds were found, the age of which, as shown by radiocarbon analysis, is about 2 thousand years! They were surrounded by caring care, and two fruitlets sprouted, bloomed and grew into healthy plants...

And a lotus flower, and a Buddha...

Indian legends say that Buddha immediately after birth took seven steps on his own - and where the baby's foot stepped, a lotus blossomed. Indian lotus flowers revered as a symbol of eternal youth, they adorn the most magnificent temples, and the creator god Brahma is always depicted against the backdrop of a sacred flower.

The lotus flower is central to the popular Buddhist magic spell, om mani padme hum. It is inscribed on every object of worship, it fills the prayer mills, and every orthodox Buddhist constantly repeats it. The original meaning of the spell is not even known to many believers, but “padme” means not only “lotus”, it is also feminine. And the theme of the unity of the male (“mani”) and the female (“padme”) beginnings, giving birth to new life, is clearly traced in the spell. The legendary property of the lotus is also connected with this - it supposedly helps a person, having forgotten the old sorrows, to be reborn in a new quality.

Even in their cosmological concepts, the ancient Indians could not do without the lotus. In the form of its seven-petal flower, they depicted the inhabited world: its center was located somewhere in the Himalayas supporting the sky and in the mountains of Tibet, in the same place, in the upper reaches of the Ganges, the sacred Mount Meru, the capital of the gods, rose, and from there, like lotus petals from the center of the flower, continents stretched in different directions.

Lotus was not only worshiped - they were fed

Man paid attention to the lotus at the very dawn of his history. During excavations, lotus seeds are found by archaeologists in the sites of people who lived 50-70 thousand years ago. It has always been a reliable help in the nutrition of the poor in the countries of the East. The Bengalis still have a saying: “They say that they live well, but even their teeth have turned black from the roots of the lotus.” The centuries-old worship of the lotus is largely due to the fact that in difficult years it saved the population from hunger. Lotus rhizomes, rich in starch, were widely eaten. They were boiled and fried, dried and ground into flour, from which cakes were made. Until now, from the seeds and rhizomes of the lotus, the peasants of China, Japan and India make flour, prepare starch, boil sugar, and squeeze oil.

Residents of these countries can treat a full lotus dinner: the first course is a soup from rhizomes, the second - with it boiled as a side dish, which perfectly replaces potatoes, and the third - an exotic delicacy: candied slices of the same rhizomes, taste very similar to marmalade. A delicious coffee substitute has been and is being prepared from dried lotus seeds, and in Vietnam they like to drink tea with lotus seeds - they give the drink a special flavor. In China and Japan, the lotus is even bred on special plantations. It is no coincidence that there are now many cultural forms of the lotus.

But the peoples of the East did not only eat lotus. In Chinese medicine, all parts of the plant are considered medicinal and are used against fever, skin ulcers, and burns. Considerable attention is paid to the lotus and Tibetan medicine. In one of the fundamental healing treatises it is said that the lotus should be attributed to the group of medicines that cure badkan diseases with fever. When deciphering this treatise, carried out by scientists from Buryatia, it turned out that this group of drugs includes those that help with metabolic disorders and various inflammatory phenomena.

And in the history of the lotus...

The word "lotus" has its roots in the ancient Greek language, where it came from Hebrew. Having migrated to Latin, it spread to many countries, and even in languages ​​​​very distant from each other - Slavic, Romance, Germanic - retained its original form.

However, both the Greeks and the Romans called the "lotus" not at all the (or not only that) flower in question. Here are the "lotuses" from the ancient Greek-Russian dictionary: "Greek lotus" - a kind of clover; “Kyrenean lotus” - a tree with sweet fruits, identified with one of the representatives of the buckthorn family (it is mentioned by Homer, Herodotus, and Strabo, they also speak of a tribe of lotophages that ate the fruits of this tree); "Egyptian lotus, or Nile" - a kind of water lily; "African lotus" - a tree with black wood.

So historically "lotuses" are not at all what we have in mind now. It can be seen that such a confusion of concepts occurred due to the fact that these plants live in similar conditions, most often in water (by the way, in Latin lofio means “bathing”, “washing”). As for the real lotus, it is not a "lotus" at all. Its generic and specific name - Nelumbo - is taken from the language of the Sinhalese, the indigenous population of the island of Sri Lanka. Under this name, this plant entered science. It is interesting that even in the "Dictionary of Foreign Words Included in the Russian Language" edition of 1894, there are such explanations: "Nelumbia is a plant from the family of the same name, Indian water lily ... Lotus is a plant from the water lily family ..." Others the plants that are called lotuses have a very distant relation to them.

The most famous namesake of lotuses is the white Nile lotus (Nimphaea lotus) from a completely different family - nymphs. It also looks very much like an Indian lotus. Four thousand four years ago, his Indian namesake appeared next to him on the Nile. Who brought it to these parts and how is unknown. But he also liked the new places, and he fell in love with the Egyptian fellahs. And he began, together with the already familiar local lotus, to diversify the poor people's table. Most likely, therefore, he did not live to our times on the Nile. And the native lotus is also found there now less and less.

But he, as in India - the Indian lotus, has always been a sacred flower for the Egyptians: according to ancient beliefs, the main Egyptian sun god was born from a lotus flower in the thickets of the Great Nile. The cult of the lotus penetrated deeply into Egyptian life. Its flower symbolized Lower Egypt, adorned the coat of arms of the country, and was minted on coins. And the highest attribute of power - the rod of the pharaoh, and the columns of the pyramid of Djoser were copied from the stems of the sacred flower. The interweaving of its stems varied endlessly on furniture, on the handles of fans and staves, on vases and jugs made of faience, stone and gold.

The halls where the Egyptian nobility feasted were decorated with garlands of their favorite flower, and participants in solemn ceremonies were presented with wreaths of white lotus. The hieroglyph depicting a lotus flower was read as "joy" and "happiness".

The Egyptians prepared flour from lotus seeds, and it often saved the poor from hunger. Fabrics were woven from lotus fibers. The life of a lotus flower is short, and if the lotuses bloomed at the same time, the Egyptians considered this a happy omen: it means that a fertile year is coming.

Lotus - a symbol of purity and love

Another species of the same family, the blue or Egyptian lotus, also enjoyed deep reverence. Its sky-blue flowers bloom during the day, as if replacing the night-blooming of the white Nile lotus. And its flowers were a frequent motif in painting and carving. When scientists opened the tomb of Ramses II and Princess Nsi-Khonsu, they saw several dried buds and flowers of a blue lotus on the half-decayed fabric of the bedspread. These three-thousand-year-old flowers have retained almost their original blueness...

The lotus is so beautiful that, talking about it, you involuntarily fall into some sentimentality. What can you do - at all times, among all the peoples who knew him, the lotus was a symbol of purity and love; Is it possible to speak of him in cold, indifferent words?

In memory of his untimely deceased wife, the mighty Shah Jahan erected three and a half centuries ago near Agra, along the banks of the Jamna River, the Taj Mahal mausoleum. Now all over the world they call it a legend of love and a swan song in marble. In the very center of the mausoleum is a tomb decorated with lotus flowers, each of 64 gems. In front of the mausoleum, complementing the white marble ensemble, there is a huge pond - and it is dotted with lotus flowers, only alive.

In Rabindranath Tagore's poem "Gifts of the Beloved" it is said about the Taj Mahal: "... You crowned the formless death with an immortal form." And the dome of the marble pearl of India is crowned with an inverted bowl of an Indian lotus flower facing the stars.

On the lotus lake near Khabarovsk

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Grape

In gardens and home gardens, you can choose a warmer place for planting grapes, for example, on the sunny side of the house, garden pavilion, veranda. It is recommended to plant grapes along the border of the site. The vines formed in one line will not take up much space and at the same time will be well lit from all sides. Near buildings, grapes should be placed so that water flowing from the roofs does not fall on it. On level ground, it is necessary to make ridges with good drainage due to drainage furrows. Some gardeners, following the experience of their colleagues in the western regions of the country, dig deep planting holes and fill them with organic fertilizers and fertilized soil. Pits dug in waterproof clay are a kind of closed vessel that fills with water during the monsoon rains. In fertile land, the root system of grapes develops well at first, but as soon as waterlogging begins, it suffocates. Deep pits can play a positive role in soils where good natural drainage is provided, the subsoil is permeable, or reclamation artificial drainage is possible. planting grapes

You can quickly restore an obsolete grape bush by layering (“katavlak”). To this end, healthy vines of a neighboring bush are placed in grooves dug to the place where the dead bush used to grow, and sprinkled with earth. The top is brought to the surface, from which a new bush then grows. Lignified vines are laid on layering in spring, and green ones in July. They are not separated from the mother bush for two to three years. A frozen or very old bush can be restored by short pruning to healthy above-ground parts or pruning to the “black head” of an underground trunk. In the latter case, the underground trunk is freed from the ground and completely cut down. Not far from the surface, new shoots grow from dormant buds, due to which a new bush is formed. Grape bushes that have been neglected and severely damaged by frost are restored due to stronger fatty shoots formed in the lower part of the old wood and the removal of weakened sleeves. But before removing the sleeve, they form a replacement for it. Grape care

A gardener starting to grow grapes needs to study well the structure of the vine and the biology of this most interesting plant. Grapes belong to liana (climbing) plants, it needs support. But it can creep along the ground and take root, as is observed in Amur grapes in a wild state. The roots and the aerial part of the stem grow rapidly, branch strongly and reach large sizes. Under natural conditions, without human intervention, a branched grape bush grows with many vines of various orders, which comes into fruiting late and yields irregularly. In culture, the grapes are formed, give the bushes a form that is convenient for care, providing a high yield of high-quality clusters. Grapevine Planting Lemongrass

Chinese lemongrass, or schizandra, has several names - lemon tree, red grape, gomisha (Japanese), cochinta, kojianta (Nanai), kolchita (Ulchi), usimtya (Udege), uchampu (Oroch). In terms of structure, systemic relationship, center of origin and distribution, Schisandra chinensis has nothing to do with the real citrus plant lemon, but all its organs (roots, shoots, leaves, flowers, berries) exude the aroma of lemon, hence the name Schisandra. Lemongrass clinging or wrapping around a support, along with Amur grapes, three types of actinidia, is an original plant of the Far Eastern taiga. Its fruits, like real lemons, are too acidic for fresh consumption, but they have medicinal properties, a pleasant aroma, and this attracted a lot of attention to him. The taste of Schisandra chinensis berries improves somewhat after frost. Local hunters who consume such fruits claim that they relieve fatigue, invigorate the body and improve eyesight. In the consolidated Chinese pharmacopoeia, compiled back in 1596, it says: "Chinese lemongrass fruit has five tastes, classified in the first category of medicinal substances. The pulp of lemongrass is sour and sweet, the seeds are bitter-astringent, and in general the taste of the fruit is salty. Thus, It contains all five tastes. Grow lemongrass

Evgeny Sedov

When hands grow from the right place, life is more fun :)

Content

Nut-bearing lotus is the most revered flower in the countries of Asia and the East. The ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans considered it sacred. According to the myth, the plant appeared from the unrequited love of a water nymph for Hercules. Existing species are American yellow, Nile white, oriental red, nut-bearing (pink lotus).

Nut-bearing lotus - description

To recognize this beautiful plant, you will need a description of the nut-bearing or nut-shaped lotus:

• the Latin name is Nelumbonucifera. The flower of the gods, a symbol of purity and wisdom.
• Lotus family.
• A perennial herbaceous amphibian plant - a native of Asian countries with a tropical climate: India, Japan, China. In Russia, it can grow in the Far East.
• It has dense dark green large leaves, reaching a diameter of up to 1/2 meter. The plant has a long spiny stalk. A pink flower appears on the pedicel in July-August. The root is large, branched, overgrown. The fruit ripens in a box.
• The Far Eastern walnut variety of the flower is an endangered species that had to be listed in the Red Book of Russia.

What does a lotus look like

The plant is very similar in shape to a water lily, but only very large. It has beautiful large, floating leaves and a huge stem. Pink flowers can be up to 30 cm in diameter. A dense, flat and fleshy petal has a rough surface. Thanks to this, the plant always manages to look clean in numerous photos - the water simply rolls off the leaf, taking away all the dust and dirt. A flower grown on muddy soil represents purity.

The nut-bearing lotus plant has a powerful rhizome. The foliage rises above the water with dense blades or lies on the surface. The plant is covered with a wax coating, this is the secret of purity. Especially interesting are the seeds that can be stored for a very long time. In appearance, they resemble dark olives the size of a hazelnut in a strong peel. The strength of the seed is important for long-term storage. There are cases when scientists found a fruit-box more than 1000 years old, and nuts sprouted.

When the lotus blooms

The lotus blooms from mid-summer to early autumn. The peak falls on the end of July - the beginning of August. You can see this spectacle in the photo or by going to the Astrakhan colonies, where the flower (Astrakhan) breeds. The largest plantations of these plants are located in the Caspian Sea, in the delta of the Volga River. Entire excursions come to look at the colorful flowering - tourists really like the colonies of flowers on the water. An interesting fact: one bud from birth to wilting lives only three days.

Nut lotus species

On the territory of Russia there is not the only variety of this plant. There are such types of lotuses:

1. Caspian. The flower grows near the Volga delta. It differs from the Asian species in that it is smaller in size and resistant to cold.
2. Far Eastern. The flower grows in the Far East. Hardy to cold, but dies with strong freezing of the soil.
3. American. The plant is native to South America. Flowers are yellow. Thanks to cultivation, it has spread widely throughout Russia.

Where the lotus grows

The lotus plant grows in sedentary muddy waters, which warm up well, is the property of temperate tropical climate zones. Partially propagated by a knotty rhizome. A positive temperature is necessary for the population, and so that the reservoir is not subjected to freezing. Heat is one of the conditions for the preservation of a relic species. The genus could cease to exist if it were not for the efforts of people to preserve this flower. For Russia, the plant is an ornament of the Far East. Residents of other regions of the country can see the flower only in the photo.

How to grow a lotus at home

It is quite a feasible task to grow a lotus at home. For this, certain conditions must be created. The algorithm for growing a flower from a seed is as follows:

• To open the shell, you can use sandpaper and a file. The top should be filed. This must be done carefully so as not to damage the seed.
• After a seed is visible in a small sawn hole, the nut is placed in a small transparent vessel with water. It needs to be changed every day.
• After two or three weeks, the first shoots will appear, which after a while will turn into long stems with leaves.
• As soon as the roots grow, it's time to transplant the plant. Seedlings need a special soil (a mixture of sand, peat and black earth), which is placed on the bottom of the pot with holes.
• Plant the sprouts loosely on the surface, straighten the leaves.
• Prepare a large aquarium. Place a pot of seedlings on the bottom and fill with water so that the leaves can be on the surface. This is necessary so that the plant begins to grow and bloom, to prevent decay.
• Do not forget about lighting - the flower loves a lot of light.

lotus breeding

In place of the flower, a fruit appears - a kind of cone basket. Up to twenty seeds "sit" in the cells, similar to hard, brown nuts in a dense shell. When ripe, the fruits fall out of the basket into the pond. Propagation of lotus seeds takes time. The relict population is restored mainly by replanting the rhizome. The shell of nuts is so strong that even in favorable conditions, the seed can lie dormant for a long time.

lotus properties

Nut-bearing lotus has a number of useful properties. The plant contains flavonoids, which can improve the functioning of many human organs, it is used to treat a number of diseases. The beneficial properties of the lotus can be briefly listed, it has:

• diuretic action;
• anti-inflammatory;
• antitumor;
• antispasmodic;
• vascular strengthening;
• wound healing.

Lotus flower

Lotus flowers rise on tall, fleshy cuttings above the pond more than a meter. Bright petals quickly change their color during the day (from raspberry to pale pink). The plant is very fond of sunlight and blooms with sunrise. The flower is extremely beautiful, exudes a pleasant aroma. In the fruit box (similar to the bell of a watering can), seeds ripen. Nuts fall to the bottom of the reservoir, where they are stored under a layer of silt.

Lotus leaf - properties

A beautiful plant has green leaves up to 40-50 cm in diameter, which effectively lie on the surface of the water. The medicinal properties of lotus leaves have been known since antiquity and are widely used by healers. The beneficial substances contained in the lotus have an antiseptic effect, increase blood clotting, relieve convulsions, and the decoction heals wounds. The leaves are harvested during the summer, cut into small pieces and dried. Prepare decoctions, teas and tinctures, make powders and add to food.

Lotus fruits - useful properties

Lotus seeds are the most useful part of the plant (they treat heart disease, decoctions can remove the feeling of fear, relieve insomnia). Traditional medicine is full of descriptions of recipes on how to prepare infusions from liver ailments, intestinal disorders, and stomach infections with the help of fruits. Information from Eastern treatises will tell you how to cure pneumonia, asthma, ulcers. There are no diseases that would not be covered by a wide spectrum of action of seeds.

Lotus application

Indian healers believed that with the help of this flower you can get a person out of depression. At all times, the plant was used as a cosmetic product. A mixture of finely chopped petals and plant oil smoothed the skin of the face and returned youth. Seeds, nuts and lotus root were eaten by many peoples. Where is the lotus used in the modern world:

1. The medicine. The flower has many useful components. Tannic, antiseptic, astringent, wound healing, diuretic properties have made this plant indispensable in pharmaceuticals.
2. Cooking. Leaf powder is used as a fragrant seasoning.
3. Religion. It is believed in many cultures to be a powerful soul cleanser. The energy of a flower is able to defeat witchcraft.
4. Cosmetology. Many skin and hair care products contain various extracts from the plant.

Application of lotus oil

Lotus oil is widely used in cosmetology. Get a magic elixir from the flowers collected before dawn. When harvesting, it is important not to damage the plant, otherwise it will lose its beneficial properties. The oil has a rejuvenating, smoothing and regenerating effect, is included in many creams and face masks. Massages and body wraps are popular.

Lotus in cooking

Oriental people have come up with many options for eating the plant. All parts are suitable for culinary processing - starch, sugar, butter are extracted from it, flour is made. The preparation of lotus root is a real art, this delicacy is served as a side dish, and lovers of sweets make marmalade from the roots. Nuts are especially considered tasty - they are eaten fresh or caramelized.

Lotus in medicine

The properties of the lotus medicinal nut-bearing medicine have been known since ancient times. The Egyptians, ancient Greeks and Romans greatly revered this flower. Lotus in folk medicine has found wide application. Medicinal properties allow it to be used in such cases:

• diseases of the stomach, intestines, liver;
• indispensable plant for heart ailments;
• skin diseases, snake bites and long healing wounds;
• decoctions of seeds relieve anxiety;
• tea is saved from insomnia;
• decoctions of the stems are used by gynecology;
• a drink is made from the rhizome, useful for neurosis, convulsions;
• some species are able to fight cancerous tumors;
• the aroma of a flower gently removes from deep depression, raises the tone of mental strength;
• vitamin C strengthens the immune system.

Video: signs of a walnut lotus

Discuss

Nut-bearing lotus plant - useful properties of fruits and leaves, cultivation and care at home

Lotus - the sacred flower of Buddhism surprises scientists all over the world, its leaves and petals always remain clean. The flower serves as a symbol of the spirit that has risen above the sensible world, as it retains its spotless white flower, emerging from the muddy water. This is due to its rough surface, visible under a microscope, from which all dirt is washed away by rain.

Photo of a pink lotus in the sun. For three days, pale pink or white flowers open in the morning in all their splendor and close in the evening. But already on the fourth day, beautiful flowers wither. And this is not surprising, because the lotus flowers spent a lot of energy ...

Lotus is a relative of water lilies and grows in Africa in the waters of the Nile River. The leaves of the lotus are concave in the middle, 1.5 m wide, and its pinkish or white flowers reach 35 cm in diameter. When the Nile flooded, bringing fertile silt to the fields, lotuses began to bloom along the banks of the river, in ditches and ditches. From ancient times, a proverb has been preserved: "There are many lotuses on the water, fertility will be great."

The ancient Greek historian Herodotus wrote: “When the river overflows its banks and floods the plain, lilies grow in large numbers on the water, called by the Egyptians“ lotus ”. They cut them off, dry them in the sun, then break the poppy-like seeds extracted from the middle of the lotus, and cook a dough that is baked on a fire. The root of this plant is also edible and has a rather pleasant sweetish taste, it is round and about the size of an apple." The plant gave people delicious food and medicine for many diseases.

Lotus flowers are amazingly beautiful and always facing the sun. Purity and beauty is what makes it sacred. Although the lotus grows out of muddy water, it always remains dry, radiates purity and freshness. The reason for this is the special structure of its petals and leaves: they can repel water and self-clean. Water collects in drops and flows down, while collecting from the leaf everything that can pollute it.

The sacred lotus flower was worshiped for many centuries, it occupied an honorable place in religious rites, traditions and legends, this is evidenced by numerous monuments of writing, architecture and art. More than five and a half thousand years ago, the Egyptians depicted lotuses on tombs, and on the altars of sacrifices, he symbolized the resurrection from the dead, although in the hieroglyphs of the Egyptians it meant joy and pleasure. Women, going to visit, decorated their hairstyles with lotus flowers, held their bouquets in their hands.

The sacred lotus of the ancient Egyptians, from which the god Ra was born and which served as a throne for the goddess of fertility Isis and the sun god Osiris, who was depicted sitting on a lotus leaf, and the god of Light Mountains on a flower. This expressed the connection of the flower with the sun, which, like the water lily flower, opens in the morning and sinks into the water in the evening. Even in ancient times, the Egyptians noticed that the lotus is very light-loving, it can open both at sunrise and at moonrise.

The flower has become a symbol of Egypt and five lotus flowers have been adorned in the state emblem since ancient times, and the scepter - a sign of the power of the Egyptian pharaohs - was made in the form of a flower on a long stem. The flower and buds were beaten out on Egyptian coins, the columns of Egyptian palaces and temples were decorated with its image, at the base of which were lotus leaves, and in the upper part - a bunch of stems with flowers and buds.

In addition to white, in the Nile Valley there is also a blue Nile lotus, which the Egyptians call "sky lily", and even bright red lotuses grow in Tibet, India and Mongolia. In India, they are loved and revered, still singing it in ritual dances. The red lotus is still the emblem of modern India. There is even a saying: "Lotus flowers are a ship on which a drowning person in the middle of the ocean of life can find his salvation."

The mythopoetic tradition of ancient India represented the earth as a giant lotus blossoming on the surface of the waters, and paradise as a huge lake overgrown with beautiful pink lotuses, where righteous, pure souls live.

In the ancient Indian epic Mahabharata, a lotus is described, which had a thousand petals, shone like the sun and scattered around a delicious aroma. This lotus, according to legend, lengthened life, returned youth and beauty.

The white lotus is an indispensable attribute of divine power. In India, a flower is a symbol of purity - growing out of dirt, it is never dirty, and therefore it is compared with a chaste person who does not stick to any filth. Indian mythology endowed with such chastity the goddess Sri, or Lakshmi, the wife of Vishnu, who was considered the patroness of fertility and prosperity. She was called "born of a lotus", "standing on a lotus", "colored with a lotus". In one of the temple medallions, the goddess Sri is depicted standing on a lotus. Surrounded by leaves and flowers, she swims across the ocean.

Many gods of India have traditionally been depicted standing or sitting on a lotus or holding a flower. Buddha sits on it and Brahma rests. Vishnu, the demiurge of the universe, holds a lotus in one of his four hands. "Lotus goddesses" are depicted with a flower in their hair. An abundant rain of lotuses poured down from the sky at the time of the birth of the Buddha, and wherever the foot of the divine newborn had set foot, a huge lotus grew.

And in China, the lotus was revered as a sacred plant. There, the flower also personifies purity, chastity, fertility, productive power. In addition, he is a symbol of summer and is one of the eight emblems of a successful prediction.

In Taoist folklore, the virtuous maiden He Xiangu was depicted holding in her hands a "flower of open cordiality" - a lotus or a wand with elements of this flower. Its image plays an important role in Chinese, Buddhist art, in particular in painting: - in the western part of the sky, ancient Chinese artists painted a lotus lake. The lotus growing on this lake, according to their ideas, communicated with the soul of a deceased person. Depending on the degree of virtue of a person in earthly life, the flowers blossomed or wilted.

Colorful photos of blooming lotuses will give happiness and good luck in an effort to comprehend all the secrets of nature. .

Lotus in human life

As a medicinal plant, the flower was known in China for several millennia BC. In traditional Chinese, Indian, Vietnamese, Arabic, Tibetan medicine, all parts of the plant were used to prepare medicines - whole seeds or their large mealy embryos, receptacle, petals, pedicels, stamens, pistils, leaves, roots and rhizomes.

In addition, it is a valuable food and dietary plant. Its root and fruits are edible. After successful pollination, the plant produces edible seeds the size of a hazelnut. Boiled in sugar, they are considered a favorite children's treat in Asia.

In Japan and China, various dishes are also prepared from the roots and leaves of this plant. The rural populations of China, India and Japan still use their seeds and rhizomes to make flour and produce starch, sugar and oil. The rhizomes are often boiled into soup or cooked as a side dish. They say that among the confectionery products in China, candied lotus rhizomes, cut into small slices, are famous for their taste, reminiscent of marmalade. In addition, the Chinese eat stamens and stems, believing that this food restores beauty and youth to the elderly. Chinese women adorn themselves with its flowers, as the ancient Egyptians and Phoenicians once did.

In ancient Greece, stories were circulated about people eating lotus - "lotophages" ("lotus eaters"). According to legend, the one who tastes the lotus flowers will never want to part with the homeland of this flower.

An ordinary lotus has fruits that are not sweet, a lotus-eater flower is another species (lotus tree) that has sweet fruits. The lotus tree, along with the flower, is of considerable importance in symbolism. In the same Greek mythology, the nymph Lotis (Lotis), escaping from Priapus pursuing her, turned into a lotus tree.

It is not for nothing that the lotus is a symbol of purity in almost all traditions. He is able to clear the space around him from negative vibrations. The aura of this plant exudes an energy field so powerful that no filth can coexist next to it. The room where the lotus is located becomes sacred from its very presence, which is why the lotus is so often used to consecrate the altar.

Often the lotus is used to protect against witchcraft. The biofield of this plant is able to neutralize any negative energies. Where the lotus is located, not a single black magic works, any attempts to create any evil will be nullified.

Lotus is often used to get rid of depression, longing and sadness. Moreover, its property is such that it brings out of a depressed state very smoothly, gradually. This enables the human body and psyche to properly adapt to the surrounding reality. And if you get out of depression abruptly, that is, from melancholy immediately into wild fun, then this will only give a negative result, since this is already an extreme, while health is harmony.

The aura of the lotus is capable of changing the consciousness of a person, directing his thoughts to more spiritual spheres. After all, it is not for nothing that in the East from ancient times to this day the lotus has been the most popular symbol of Spiritual development, as well as a symbol of almost all Eastern deities.

The use of lotus is especially recommended for those people who are too mired in the material world, who all the time think only about work, money and gain, completely forgetting about the second side of their personality - the spiritual. If such a person carries lotus petals with him or sits near this plant for at least half an hour, then gradually his character and consciousness will change. His nature will become more refined, he will gradually begin to turn his gaze to spiritual matters.

lotus life force

In 1881, during the excavation of the tomb of Pharaoh Ramses II and Princess Nsi Khonsu, several dried blue lotus buds were found, which had lain in the ground for 3000 years and retained their color. Among the dazzling riches of the tomb, these flowers made the greatest impression. Such is the magical power and charm of flowers.

Sometimes lotus seeds are stored for hundreds of years and are fraught with a scientific sensation. In 1933, a report flashed in the magazines that in the Kew Botanical Gardens near London, Indian lotus plants were blooming, the age of the seeds of which was equal to four centuries. When scientists questioned this claim and decided to test it out, they managed to germinate seeds that were 1040 years old!

American scientists from the University of California managed to grow a healthy young plant from a 1228-year-old lotus seed, which was kept as a relic in one of the museums. They sprouted the seed in four days, the little seed sprouted as if it had just been born. Prior to the start of this experiment, several more ancient lotuses were grown from seeds brought from the Beijing Institute of Botany, from seeds of no less "venerable" age. This is probably the oldest germinated seed. It was found in a dry lotus pond in China. The seed lay for many hundreds of years, and after four days it released a small green sprout.

Head down sleepy
Under the fire of daylight,
Waiting for shimmering nights.
And just floats
Red moon in the sky
He raises his head
Waking up from sleep.
Shines on fragrant sheets
His pure tears dew,
And lovingly he trembles,
Sadly looking up at the sky.
G. Heine

For more than three millennia, the lotus has been a symbol of wisdom, happiness and eternal life.

The reason for this was the natural feature of the lotus - always turn towards the sun. Due to this feature, the Egyptians considered this plant sacred.

The lotus flower was worn by Nefertiti. The lotus symbolized Upper Egypt and adorned the coat of arms of the country. The Greeks believed that lotus flowers have a rare gift to expel grief, sadness, and resentment from the soul.

General characteristics of the lotus

The lotus family (Nelumbonaceae), isolated from the nymphaeal family, is represented by only one genus - the lotus (Nelumbo) and two species - the nut-bearing lotus (N. nucifera) and the yellow lotus (N. lutea).

The species differ mainly in the color of the flowers: in the nut-bearing lotus, the flowers are pale pink, in the yellow - cream or yellow; as well as the region of distribution: the first is found in Eurasia and Australia, the second - in the New World.

The birthplace of the lotus, of course, was located in the tropical climate zone. The northern border of lotus growth coincides with the border of grape cultivation (the lower temperature limit is minus 15°C).

Lotus in nature grows in swampy lakes and slow-flowing rivers. Its creeping rhizomes are immersed in a sandy-silty bottom. When water bodies become shallow, the lotus develops normally on land for some time, but dies after a few years - obviously, when the supply of nutrients in the rhizomes is depleted.

Rhizomes are powerful, up to 5 cm in diameter, highly branched: numerous roots diverge from clearly distinguishable nodes in bunches. Substances are deposited in the rhizome that will nourish the plant all winter.

By autumn, tuberous thickenings form on it. In the spring, leaves grow from the buds at each node, and leaves and flowers grow from large buds.

Lotus leaves are of two types. Some - underwater sessile scaly - densely cover young buds and growth points of rhizomes. Others - surface floating or air - rise high above the water on flexible petioles. Floating leaves are flat, round-shield-shaped, and airy - funnel-shaped.

Lotus leaves are not wetted: water falling on them, like mercury, is collected in large drops and slides down the groove; a sheet dipped into water is covered with a silvery airy film. This is explained by a strong wax coating of leaves. In their tissues, in addition, there are air cavities.

The average height of the plant is about 1.5 m. Lotus flowers are up to 30 cm in diameter, with a delicate color of the petals, with a faint but exquisite aroma with hints of cinnamon.

There are only two sepals, and 20-30 petals; the latter, as well as numerous large stamens, are spirally arranged.

The lotus flower lives from four to five days, then fades, and lotus fruits appear - nuts that remain viable for a long time.

However, under natural conditions, the lotus reproduces mainly by branching the rhizome. Sometimes plants of the same thicket have a common, unusually extended system of rhizomes.

Tasty and healthy

Lotus seeds, leaves and rhizomes are suitable for food.

From rhizomes get flour, starch, oil. Lotus rhizomes are rich in dietary fiber, vitamin C, contain free amino acids, salts of potassium, phosphorus, copper, manganese. They are prepared like other root crops, such as Jerusalem artichoke.

Young leaves eat like asparagus. nuts popping like seeds. Leaves are used to wrap food for cooking or storage.

stamens used for herbal teas and flavoring black tea.

In folk medicine, all parts of the lotus plant are used to treat diseases of the nervous and cardiovascular systems, for headaches and as a tonic.

Fragrant oil is obtained from flowers and fruits - an anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic agent.

Lotus breeding

The selection of lotus flowers has reached an unprecedented level: there are varieties from snow-white to intense purple, with many shades. Densely doubled lotuses and flowers with corrugated petals have already appeared.

Many varieties are created on the basis of hybrids of the walnut lotus and the yellow lotus. The varieties are propagated by dividing the rhizomes (during seed propagation, the offspring is heterogeneous).

In artificial reservoirs for the lotus, soil is prepared from silt, sand, a small amount of clay and gravel. Water must be clean and slow flowing. Keep in mind that lotuses grow quickly and can drown out other pond plants.

Growing from seeds

Lotuses grown from seeds bloom in the 3-5th year. Before germination, the seeds are filed (carefully so as not to damage the embryo), put in a jar of warm water, which is placed on a sunny windowsill.

After a few days, the shell bursts, small leaves appear, and after another two or three weeks, the roots.

Seedlings are planted either immediately in a pond (if the water is warm enough), or in pots, which are placed in vessels with water.

As the lotuses grow, add water or transplant the plants into new containers: the leaves should float on the surface.

Vegetative propagation

For vegetative propagation, it is better to first plant the rhizome segments in a rooting container. The kidneys should be at the level of the surface of the pound.

During the period of rooting and growth of the rhizome, lotuses are recommended to be fed with special fertilizers for aquatic plants.

In the temperate climate zone, water from reservoirs with lotuses is drained for the winter and the bottom is covered with a thick (at least 50 cm) layer of fallen leaves.

Sometimes lotuses are planted in containers, which are transferred to cellars for the winter and stored in wet sand at a temperature of 5-10 ° C.

In winter gardens, the lotus is grown in large aquariums, in which the water layer above the soil surface must be at least 30 cm.

In our country, the lotus grows in the Volga Delta, in the North Caucasus (at the mouth of the Kura), in the Far East and in the Kuban estuaries on the eastern coast of the Sea of ​​Azov.

In the Astrakhan region, before the announcement of the lotus thickets as protected areas, they were killed in the bud, feeding livestock and poultry. However, the lotus multiplies rapidly, and now its area there reaches 1500 hectares. It grows along the banks of numerous channels and lakes in the Volga delta, on the coast.

In the Far East, the lotus is found in the Amur region, along the lower reaches of the Ussuri, on Lake Malaya Khanka. Here it has been preserved from the Tertiary period; at that time the climate was warmer, but the lotus adapted to local conditions and became winter-hardy.

Usually, the bottom layer of silt, in which lotus rhizomes hibernate, does not freeze through.

In the Sea of ​​Azov and on the Taman Peninsula, lotuses settled about 40 years ago. Initially, they were planted in a fresh lake near the Sadki farm (Primorsko-Akhtarsk region).

Attempts to plant a lotus in the Kuban estuaries have been made before. So, in 1938, the hydrobiologist S. K. Troitsky grew lotus populations from Astrakhan seeds. But because of the violation of the environment in this region, they did not survive.

In the freshwater Akhtanizovsky Estuary in the Krasnodar Territory, floating lotus leaves in shallow water reach 80 cm in diameter. is a local attraction.