Lotus

Description:

Large flat leaves that are often confused with water lily plants, the lotus is not even related to the water lily at all. Although the roots of the plants are anchored in the mud of the pond or marsh, the flowers rise above the water level and never rest on it. They grow in masses across any suitable water as in photo 2. The lotus is a aquatic perennial which can re-seed itself after many years, given the right conditions. Wiki says that the oldest recorded lotus seeds that germinated were from 1300 year old seeds that were recovered from a dry lakebed in China. Impressive durability! Good thing they are useful:)

Habitat:

Marshes, ponds, ditches, sloughs, the lotus plant is a prolific plant. The first 2 photos are in a marsh bordering the Tonle Sap or Great Lake near Siem Reap, Cambodia, taken at sunset.

Notes:

Photo 3 shows a basket of green lotus seed pods ready for market. The people of Cambodia use the lotus in many ways, including lotus seed soup, and the stem is stripped of its outer coating and used in soups and stir-fries. There are probably other ways to use this plant that I haven't yet learned and it is so available that even those that do not own land, can harvest it in many places and use it.