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Indian Lotus -A Multipurpose Aquatic Ornamental Plant

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 Popular Article

www.vigyanvarta.com Vol-1 Issue-5 De (2020)

Indian Lotus - A Multipurpose Aquatic

Ornamental Plant
Lakshman Chandra De
ICAR-NRC for Orchids, Pakyong-737106, Sikkim

Corresponding Author
Lakshman Chandra De
Email: lakshmanchandrade@gmail.com
OPEN ACCESS

Keywords

Indian Lotus, Nelumbo, wastewater remediation

How to cite this article:

De, L. C. 2020. Indian Lotus-a multipurpose aquatic ornamental plant. Vigyan Varta 1(5): 7-9

ABSTRACT
Indian lotus (Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn. is also popular as Sacred Lotus because of its
significance in the religions and National Flower of India. In addition to aesthetic value, it is
also a popular vegetable and traditional medicinal plant having a great economic value in
India. They are easy to grow and go on growing year after year after planting. These plants
can be cultivated in tanks, ponds, jheels, ditches, pools, tubs, bowls and woolen boxes. Lotus
flowers, seeds, young leaves and rhizomes are all edible. Every parts of the plant are used
traditionally to cure several ailments in human beings. Lotus is often chosen as the primary
plant because of its nutrient stripping qualities for wastewater remediation in a pond.

INTRODUCTION Description

T
axonomically, lotus belongs to the
genus of Nelumbo, which is the only
existing genus of the Nelumbonaceae
family. Indian lotus (Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn.
is also popular as Sacred Lotus because of its
significance in the religions of Buddhism and
Hinduism (Shen-Miller, 2002) and National
Flower of India. The lotus (Nelumbo nucifera)
is known by several names including Sacred
lotus, Indian lotus, East Indian lotus, Oriental
Lotus, Lily of Nile, Bean of India and Sacred
Water Lily. It symbolizes purity, beauty,
majesty, grace, fertility, wealth, richness,
knowledge and serenity. In addition, it is also a
popular vegetable and traditional medicinal
plant having a great economic value in India.
It is a perennial large and rhizomatous aquatic
herb with, slender, elongated, branched,
creeping stout stem containing nodal roots.
Leaves are membranous, peltate, orbicular,
floating and concave to cup shaped ; petioles
are long, rough with small distinct prickles;
flowers white to rosy, sweet scented, solitary,
10-25cm, in diameter; fruits are ovoid having
nut like achenes; seeds are black, hard and
ovoid. There are two varieties of lotus namely
Nelumbo nucifera var. alba (White type) and
Nelumbo nucifera var. rubra (Red type).
Genetically, lotus is diploid with the number of
chromosomes 2n=16. The unique features of
lotus include seed longevity, leaf
ultrahydrophobicity and floral

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thermoregulation. Lotus fruit is famous for its
longevity. It has been reported that lotus fruits
buried underground more than 1000 years could
still be germinated. Due to the mechanism of
lotus seed longevity may contribute to
enhancing seed storage in agriculture, and even
in the healthcare of human beings.
Cultivation
They are easy to grow and go on growing year
after year after planting. These plants can be
grown in tanks, ponds, jheels, ditches, pools,
tubs, bowls and woolen boxes. They are best
planted during late winter or spring. Nelumbo is
generally propagated by division of rhizomes or
by seeds. On an average, 10-12 kg seeds are
required to produce seedlings sufficient for one
hectare of land. Rhizomes are divided during
March-April which produce flowers in the same
year. If propagated from seeds, they are sown in
pans of sandy soil, which are immersed in a
tank or vessel of water. Water temperature of
16-18oC is favourable for germination. The
seedlings can grow in the seed pan until they are
large enough to plant in tubs or tanks. It is the
point to be noted that the seeds retain their
viability for more than a hundred years under
suitable environment.
Nelumbo is a vigorous grower and requires rich
loamy soil with the addition of plenty of well
rotten cow manure for proper growth. About
30-45cm depth of soil manure mixture is
enough to grow them. The depth of water of the
soil may vary from 30cm to several metres. The
depth of water should be increased in direct
ratio to the amount of plant growth. Plants are
planted in the soil under water. In setting an
almost dormant rhizome, the soil should be
pressed firmly above the rhizome and generally
planted 8-10cm below the surface. They require
an open situation with plenty of sunshine and
the minimum water temperature above freezing
is necessary. The flowers appear in profusion
during summer and the rainy season.
Nelumbo are often attacked by insect pests and
diseases. Pools become breeding places for
mosquitoes, and it can be successfully
Popular Article
De (2020)
controlled by the introduction of goldfish in the
pool which destroy mosquito wigglers at the
early stage of their development. Sometimes,
leaves of Nelumbo become ragged and decay
rapidly by the attack of beetles. Application of
Malathion or lead arsenate on the infested
leaves is found to be effective in controlling
beetles. Aphids are the usual plant pests which
disfigure the flowers and stems. They are easily
controlled by a forceful clean water spray or in
case of high infestation, by spraying Lindane or
Malathion. Alternaria leaf spot is a common
fungal disease in Nelumbo and is controlled by
copper or dithiocrbamate spray.
Multiple Uses
• Durga puja is an important festival all over
India especially in West Bengal. During
this festival there is huge demand of lotus
flowers according to rituals. Each puja
pandel requires 108 lotus flowers.
• Lotus flowers, seeds, young leaves and
rhizomes are all edible.
• In India, the petals are sometimes used for
decoration, while the large leaves are used
as a wrap and plate for food.
• Various parts of the sacred lotus are also
used in traditional herbal medicine.
• The tender seeds are munched happily in
north-east India.
• The lotus stem is eaten almost in all parts
of India and pickled too.
• Young lotus stems are used as a salad
ingredient in Vietnamese cuisine.
• The distinctive dried seed heads are widely
sold throughout the World for decorative
purposes and for dried flower
arrangement.
• The rhizome is used as a vegetable in
soups, deep-fried, stir-fried, and braised
dishes.
• Lotus rootlets are often pickled with rice
vinegar, sugar, chili and garlic.
• The stamens are dried and made into a
scented herbal tea in Vietnam.
• The lotus seeds or nuts can be eaten raw or
dried and popped like popcorn.
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• In South Indian states, the lotus stem is
sliced, marinated with salt to dry, and the
dried slices are fried and used as a side
dish.
• In Sri Lanka, the sliced lotus stem curry is
a popular dish called as ‘Nelum Ala’
• A unique fabric from the lotus plant fibers
is produced in Myanmar.
• The leaves are used as a flavouring agent
and to wrap sweet and spicy mixtures (rice,
meat, fruit etc.) for steaming.
Medicinal Properties
Lotus fruits contain high contents of
polysaccharides like galactose, mannose and
tannins. The polyphenols content in lotus seed
epicarp increased along with the ripening and
had strong anti-oxidation activity (Liu et al,
2015). The rhizome is rich in abundant starch,
proteins and vitamins, making it a popular
edible vegetable. Enlargement of lotus rhizome
could largely determine its economic value as
well as also help the lotus to survive from
winter during its bud dormancy and provide
substrates and energy for its asexual
propagation. Specifically, the leaf of a lotus is
an especially important traditional herbal
medicine, which is widely used in controlling
the blood lipids and treating hyperlipidemia.
Recently, it is becoming more and more popular
as weight-losing tea to reduce the level of lipids
in the human body. Studies have shown that
two major alkaloids namely nuciferine and N-
nornuciferine are the main bioactive
compounds present in leaves. Roots are used in
diabetes, indigestion, dysentery and piles.
Fruits are eaten raw to control blood sugar
levels. Tender leaves, petioles and flowers are
used medicinally for deworming, urination and
dizziness. Petiole paste is applied on forehead
to maintain body temperature. Ripe seeds are
eaten raw for controlling blood sugar. The
pounded leaves are effective for the treatment
of high fever, skin diseases and headache.
Young leaves are used in piles, leprosy and
painful urination. Petioles are used for the
treatment of bleeding piles and excessive
bleeding in menstruation.
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Lotus for Wastewater Remediation
Lotus is chosen as the primary plant because of
its nutrient stripping qualities (Lin and Yi,
2003). It traps sediments in its fibrous root
system, produces high grade flowers and pods,
reduces water evaporation, and grows quickly
under favourable conditions. In addition to
removing nutrients from the water - such as
ammonia, nitrates and phosphates, the plant’s
rhizomes strip nutrients from the substrate. It
also oxygenates bottom sediments, preventing
release of toxic gasses and nutrients through
anaerobic decomposition processes. Trapping
of these nutrients reduces the potential for algal
blooms, rapid deoxygenation caused by algae
or bacterial abundance, and improves the
oxidation and mineralization processes that aid
bacterial nitrification processes in the pond
sediments. Lotus has an advantage over many
other aquatic plants in that the leaves are held
above the water. Most floating aquatic plants
leaves cover water interface and heavy cover
results in deoxygenation of the water beneath.
As lotus leaves are held above the water this
phenomenon does not occur. In addition, the
large lacunae in the stolons carry oxygen deep
into sediments indicating that sediments with
lotus are less likely to be anaerobic. Anaerobic
sediments are a factor in mobilization of critical
nutrients including phosphorus.
REFERENCES
Lin, C. K. and Yi, Y., 2003. Minimizing
environmental impacts of freshwater
aquaculture and reuse of pond effluents
and mud. Aquaculture, 226(1-4), pp:57-
68.
Liu, Y., Ma, S. S., Ibrahim, S. A., Li, E. H.,
Yang, H. and Huang, W., 2015.
Identification and antioxidant properties
of polyphenols in lotus seed epicarp at
different ripening stages. Food
Chemistry, 185, pp:159-164.
Shen-Miller, J., 2002. Sacred lotus, the long-
living fruits of China Antique. Seed
Science Research, 12(3), p:131-143.
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