A Plant with an Extraordinary Range
Sacred Lotus occurs naturally from Ukraine and northern Iran across Asia to northern and northeastern Australia. In the wild, it inhabits shallow freshwater environments including ponds, lakes, lagoons, marshes and floodplains. Australia is not merely somewhere Sacred Lotus can be cultivated. It forms part of the species’ native range.
A Human Story More Than 8,500 Years Old
The relationship between people and Sacred Lotus reaches deep into prehistory. At an early human occupation site in southern China, archaeologists identified a charred fragment of the plant’s underground rhizome, commonly called lotus root. They directly radiocarbon dated it to more than 8,500 years ago.
Sacred Lotus has been cultivated across Asia for at least 3,000 years, with different forms selected for their edible rhizomes and seeds as well as their ornamental flowers.
Sacred and Practical
Across Hindu and Buddhist traditions, the lotus became an enduring symbol of purity, divinity and spiritual awakening. Around the first century BCE, carved lotuses formed part of the sacred railing surrounding India’s Bharhut Stupa, where the flower appeared as an auspicious symbol associated with the Buddha’s enlightenment.
Its importance has never been purely symbolic. The rhizomes and seeds are widely eaten and the young leaves, leaf stalks and flowers are also consumed in parts of Asia. Lotus seed paste remains a traditional filling in Chinese mooncakes, while the crisp rhizomes are prepared in numerous savoury dishes.
