Editor Makena challenged her fellow bloggers to consider Plants and/or Opinions. In James’s opinion, lotus flowers are the best plants.

By James Zheng, plant dude

Lotus flowers are a widespread plant around tropical and temperate zones in Asia. It is said that there were records of lotus flowers planted during the period of ancient China. Nowadays, some of the species are imported to America. The lotus flower is famous for its colorful appearance and a large diversity of species. In India and Vietnam, the lotus flower is the national flower, and it is recognized as a holy symbol within Buddhism.

Lotus flowers are categorized as an aquatic plant with the root under the water. Every part of a lotus flower can be really valuable. Its seed and root are abundantly nutritious as food, and the leaf can be used for making herbs. It is both edible and ornamental.

Lotus flowers have adapted to environments like shallow water, lakes, marshes and ponds. If there is enough water, the lotus flower could even grow in a tiny basin. Most lotus flowers have a strong reliance on sunshine, so full sunshine is needed during the growth period. They cannot tolerate growing under the shade. The artificially cultivated varieties are mostly used in parks and courtyards for ornamental purposes. I have pictures below of some showy species of the lotus flower in China, and they are given some unique nicknames.

• “Icy tenderness.”

• “The princesse dancer.”

• “Haierfura”

All the above species are my favorite, yet there are still hundreds of species of lotus flowers you can find in the world. If you are interested, find the one that you like, and take care of it. Most of the lotus flowers have a really strong capability of adapting to the environment; you just need enough water and sunshine to raise it!

Plant and Opinions Editor: Makena Behnke