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The sacred lotus

An incredible wealth of wetlands

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Abstract

The lotus is very much a part of Indian cultural traditions. Its importance has long been recognized and it has been grown for use as food, medicine and also for cultural and religious activities. Significantly, the longevity of the lotus seed is phenomenal, with viable seeds dated as being 1300 years old. Seed germination of the lotus is very rare in Nature; however, farmers’ knowledge and experience may show how lotus seeds can be germinated.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture, P O Rahara, 24, Paraganas, India

    R. N. Mandal

  2. Department of Botany Bangabasi Morning College, University of Calcutta, Kolkata, 700 009, India

    R. Bar

Authors
  1. R. N. Mandal
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  2. R. Bar
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to R. N. Mandal.

Additional information

(left) R N Mandal is Senior Scientist at Regional Research Centre, Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture, Kolkata. He works on aquatic bioresources of wetlands.

(right) R Bar is Assistant Professor at Department of Botany, Bangabasi Morning College, University of Calcutta, Bar teaches both undergraduate and post-graduate students. His doctoral work is on aquatic bio-resources.

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Mandal, R.N., Bar, R. The sacred lotus. Reson 18, 732–737 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12045-013-0094-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12045-013-0094-3

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