X-Nico

10 unusual facts about Nelumbo nucifera


Blue lotus

Nelumbo nucifera, also known as Indian Lotus, Sacred Lotus, Bean of India, or simply Lotus, an aquatic flower native to tropical Asia and Queensland, Australia

Devi

The hymn also associates her with lotus and elephant – an association, which has not changed in subsequent history.

Gayatri

In illustrations, the goddess often sits on a lotus flower and appears with five heads and five pairs of hands, representing the incarnations of the goddess as Parvati, Saraswati etc.

Gayatri is typically portrayed as seated on a red lotus, signifying wealth.

Mahadev Temple, Tambdi Surla

The four pillars, embellished with intricate carvings of elephants and chains support a stone ceiling decorated with finely carved Ashtoken lotus flowers.

Padma Shri

On its obverse, the words "Padma", meaning lotus in Sanskrit and "Shri", in Devanagari, appear above and below a lotus flower.

Rockford Morning Star Building

Decorative panels situated near the building's entrance feature Art Deco and Egyptian elements, including rows of chevrons and a guilloché of lotus buds.

Sapphire

The name is derived from the Sanskrit "padma raga" (padma = lotus; raga = color), a color akin to the lotus flower (Nelumbo nucifera ‘Speciosa’).

Schoenhofen Pyramid Mausoleum

A bronze molding of bundled reeds surrounds the door and the door's themselves feature cast lotus designs with coiled asps around the handles.

Superhydrophobic coating

super-hydrophobic coatings are also found in nature: they appear on plant leaves, such as the Lotus leaf, and some insect wings causing them to repel water.


Experimental Station for Landscape Plants

The arboretum covers 47,031 m², and contains about 350 species (500 varieties) of woody plants and flowers, with excellent collections of Camellia japonica (130 varieties), Camellia sasanqua (30 varieties), and flowering lotus (including 250 varieties of Nelumbo nucifera and Nelumbo lutea).

Higenamine

Higenamine (norcoclaurine) is a chemical compound found in a variety of plants including Nandina domestica (fruit), Aconitum carmichaelii (root), Asarum heterotropioides, Galium divaricatum (stem and vine), Annona squamosa, and Nelumbo nucifera (lotus seeds).