Lotus
Nelumbo nucifera
Sacred lotus. Rhizomes (renkon) and seeds are foods; flowers are ornamental/religious. A pond plant, not a water lily (Nymphaea), though they get confused in garden centers.
GROW → HARVEST → EAT → DRY → POWDER → CAPSULE → GUMMY — forms are not equivalent. Food first.
Identity
What it is
Sacred lotus. Rhizomes (renkon) and seeds are foods; flowers are ornamental/religious. A pond plant, not a water lily (Nymphaea), though they get confused in garden centers.
Edible portions
- rhizomes
- seeds
Absence of a portion from this list means it is not treated as food here — not that every other part is toxic.
Growing
- Climate. 4–10 pond (rhizomes overwinter in mud in many zones)
- Light. Full sun, still water
- Soil. Heavy pond mud
- Planting. A contained pond basket or it takes the pond.
- Harvest. Rhizomes from mud; seeds from the showerhead torus.
Preparation and culinary uses
- Sliced rhizome in stir-fries and simmered dishes
- Roasted seeds
Next steps
Sources
- USDA PLANTS Database — taxonomy and range (verify current entries)
- No USDA FoodData Central nutrient profile is attached here. That is not a claim that the plant contains no nutrients.
- State cooperative extension growing guides — verify for your region
Honest incompleteness is preferred to fabricated completeness. If a section is missing, no record for it is attached here — not a claim that the plant lacks that characteristic, and not that it was omitted as a secret.
Internal quality class B. Good foundation: enough unique information to exist as its own destination.