July

Famous for its attractive flowers, the Indian Lotus is in full bloom in Hong Kong Wetland Park this summer. You can find it at the freshwater marsh, along the Stream Walk, and around the Wetland Discovery Centre. Most visitors are attracted by the elegant and colourful flowers. They will stay and gaze for a long time or take photos for pleasant memories.

Lotus is a perennial aquatic plant. It likes stable and quiet shallow fresh water, and can be found in lakes, marshes and ponds. It has scutellate leaves in green colour. Blooms only last for three or four days from June to August of every year. The flower opens a little on the first day and closes at dusk. At the second dawn it opens larger and then larger during the third or fourth dawn. A lotus seed pod hiding in the flower will be exposed after all petals wilt. Lotus seeds grow slowly and swell. Seed pod and seeds can be colleted when green Lotus seeds change to brown colour in the seed pod.

In Chinese, the Indian Lotus is also called "Waterlily", so it is always confused with another plant sharing the same common name – Waterlily Nymphaea spp. In fact they are different and easy to differentiate from its leaf form and character. Lotus leaves are raised above the water and round. The leaves of Waterlily are floating on the water surface, and sometimes with a deep 'V' cut from the edge.

Do you know the whole plant of Lotus can be eaten and used as medicine? It is a treasure. The rhizomes, stalks, leaves, flowers & seeds are all edible and can be used to prepare a variety of savoury dishes. Don't hesitate to cook one or two dishes in this summer days after visiting Hong Kong Wetland Park.