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This Month in the Garden (November 2010)...
Lotus (Nelumbo) are popular plants with water gardeners. Native to Asia and Australia, the plants grow in shallow ponds, lagoons and bogs. All parts of the plant are used for food - the leaves and stems, seeds, and the rhizomes (roots) which are filled with air channels and resemble Swiss cheese when sliced. The lotus was considered sacred by the ancient Egyptians and still has religious significance for both Hindus and Buddhists. In areas where the lotus are not harvested or are not native they can become invasive, spreading so rapidly they fill the wetlands where they grow. Lotus produce both aerial leaves and flowers. In some species the leaves may be three feet wide and the flowers may soar twelve feet above the water. This is the seed pod of Nelumbo ‘Mrs. Perry D Slocum,’ which holds its flowers on five foot tall stems. Each of the chambers in the pod hold a single seed. Properly dried, the seed heads are used in flower arrangements.
November 2010
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Port Washington Garden Club, PO
Box 492, Port Washington, Wisconsin 53074
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