What Does a Lotus Flower Do? 9 Things This Plant Does Better Than Most

A lotus flower does far more than look beautiful. In the pond it warms itself, attracts and shelters beetles, cleans its own leaves and produces seeds that can wait for centuries. For people it provides food, fibre, materials ideas and a long history of traditional medicine. And one plant that is called lotus, the blue lotus water lily, has effects on the body that every reader should know about.

Here is what a lotus flower does, from biology to the kitchen to safety.

What a lotus flower does for the plant

The flower's job, like any flower's, is reproduction: to attract pollinators, receive pollen and produce seed. The sacred lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) does this in some unusual ways.

1. It controls its own temperature

The sacred lotus is one of only a handful of plants that can regulate the temperature of their flowers. Studies published in Nature in the 1990s found that a lotus flower can stay at roughly 30 to 35 °C for two to four days, even when the air around it drops to about 10 °C. The flower burns stored starch to make heat, and it speeds up or slows down as the weather changes, a little like a warm-blooded animal.

Scientists think the warmth helps in two ways. It spreads the flower's scent, and it gives a cosy shelter to the beetles that pollinate it. Beetles that spend the night inside a closed, warm flower can stay active and carry pollen when the flower opens in the morning.

2. It opens and closes on a schedule

Each lotus flower lives for only about three days, and it follows a careful plan:

• Day 1: the bud opens partly in the morning. The female parts are ready, but the pollen is not yet released, which encourages cross-pollination. It closes in the afternoon, often trapping insects inside.
• Day 2: the flower opens wide. Pollen is released and the flower is at its most fragrant.
• Day 3: the flower opens fully, sometimes flat, then begins to drop its petals.
• After: the flat-topped centre swells into the seed pod.

3. It makes seeds that last for centuries

Lotus seeds have an extremely hard, waterproof coat. In the 1990s, researchers germinated lotus seeds from a dried lakebed in northeastern China that were dated to about 1,300 years old, among the oldest seeds ever grown. The US National Park Service also grows an ancient "Manchurian lotus" from old lakebed seeds at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens. This long dormancy lets a lotus colony return after droughts that last many years.

What lotus leaves do

4. They clean themselves (the lotus effect)

Water dropped on a lotus leaf forms near-perfect beads that roll off and take dust and mud with them. Under a microscope the leaf is covered with tiny bumps topped with even tinier wax crystals. Water touches only the tips, so it cannot spread. Clean leaves catch more light for photosynthesis and resist fungi and bacteria.

Scientists named this the "lotus effect" and have copied it for self-cleaning paints, roof tiles, glass coatings, textiles and even spill-resistant lab coats.

5. They breathe for the roots

The lotus lives with its roots in airless mud. Its leaves and stalks contain air channels that connect to the holes you see in sliced lotus root. In lotus plants, air is drawn into young leaves and pushed down to the rhizome, then vented through older leaves, so the buried parts get the oxygen they need.

What a lotus does for the pond

6. It shelters wildlife and stabilises mud

Lotus stands give shade and cover to fish, frogs, insects and water birds. Ducks and geese eat the seeds and rhizomes. The thick root mat holds soft sediment in place. Lotus plants also take up nutrients from the water as they grow, and researchers have studied them for cleaning nutrient-polluted ponds.

There is a downside. Outside its native range the sacred lotus can spread into dense mats that crowd out native plants, which is why some US authorities list it as potentially invasive.

What a lotus does for people

7. It feeds people

Almost every part of the true lotus is eaten:

• Rhizome (lotus root): crunchy and mild, used in curries and dry dishes (such as bhein in Pakistan and North India), soups, stir-fries and pickles.
• Seeds: eaten fresh, dried or made into sweet paste for mooncakes and desserts.
• Leaves: used as natural wrappers for steamed rice and meat.
• Stamens and flowers: used to scent tea in Vietnam.

Lotus root and seeds are good sources of fibre and starch. Always cook lotus root before eating, since raw water plants can carry parasites.

A common mix-up: the puffed "lotus seeds" sold as makhana or fox nuts come from a different water plant, Euryale ferox, not from the true lotus.

8. It provides fibre, crafts and inspiration

In Myanmar, Cambodia and Vietnam, artisans pull fine fibres from cut lotus stalks and weave them into lotus silk, one of the rarest fabrics in the world. Dried seed pods are used in flower arrangements. And as described above, the lotus leaf has inspired a whole field of water-repellent materials.

9. It has a long role in traditional medicine

Lotus leaves, seeds, seed embryos, flowers and rhizomes are used in traditional Chinese medicine, Ayurveda and other systems for many purposes. Lotus contains natural compounds, including the alkaloids nuciferine and neferine and many flavonoids, that scientists are studying.

However, research in humans is limited. WebMD's supplement guide notes that lotus is taken for weight, blood sugar and cholesterol, but that its benefits are not well defined, and it advises talking with a health care provider first, especially for people with heart-rhythm problems or diabetes, or anyone pregnant, breastfeeding or taking other medicines.

What does a blue lotus flower do?

The plant sold as "blue lotus" is not a true lotus. It is the Egyptian blue water lily, Nymphaea caerulea. It is famous from ancient Egyptian art, and today it is sold online as dried flowers, teas, extracts and vape liquids.

Here is what reliable sources say about it:

• What it contains: blue lotus contains alkaloids, including apomorphine and nuciferine, that act on dopamine receptors in the brain.
• Reported effects: users report relaxation and mild euphoria. Higher amounts have been linked with hallucinations.
• Safety concerns: Operation Supplement Safety, a US Department of Defense programme, reports emergency-room visits among service members after blue lotus use, with symptoms such as anxiety, paranoia, slurred speech, rapid heartbeat, chest pain and seizures. Some products have been found laced with synthetic cannabinoids.
• Evidence: the same source notes that no reliable scientific evidence supports the safety or effectiveness of blue lotus for any health purpose.
• Legal status: blue lotus is not a federally controlled substance in the United States, but it is prohibited for US military personnel, and laws differ between states and countries. Check the rules where you live.

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