"The spring is silent and cherishes the trickle, and the shade of the tree loves sunny and soft as the water shines. Xiao He just showed his sharp horns, and dragonflies stood on his head long ago. " In summer, people lack cicadas, and the graceful lotus flowers are slim and fragrant. In Zhou Dunyi's "Love Lotus", it is said that "to love the lotus alone is not stained with mud, but clear without demon", which shows that the lotus is so fresh and refined in the eyes of the ancients.
(Image from Miaomiao Plant Control)
Let's take a look at how much the ancient people in China loved lotus flowers.
in Li Sao, Qu Zi said that "making lotus flowers is the best way to dress, and gathering hibiscus flowers is the best way to dress", which means that I use lotus leaves as my coat and lotus flowers as my clothes. When I passed Hangu Pass, I told Yin Xi: "In the land of the end of the world, when real people travel, they sit on the lotus.". Ordinary people with noble character use lotus flowers for clothes, while noble and sacred immortals use lotus flowers for transportation.
Literature and archaeology show that lotus is an ancient flower originated in China. When describing fairyland, China's ancient myths and legends are always accompanied by lotus flowers. For example, people call Nezha the Lotus Boy.
(Image from the Internet)
"Laugh occasionally, but take off the hibiscus crown." This hibiscus crown is the highest-ranking crown of Taoism, and the hibiscus referred to by the hibiscus crown worn by Taoist masters is the lotus. It is said that it is not allowed to wear this crown unless a high-tech mage goes to the altar. The hibiscus crown was popular in the Tang Dynasty, and it was made of jade and decorated with jewels in the Song Dynasty. History shows that Kublai Khan of Yuan Shizu summoned Zhang Zongyan, the 36th generation Tianshi, to give the jade lotus crown. The appearance of the hibiscus crown is a blooming lotus, also known as the lotus crown.
(Image from the Internet)
Lotus flowers are all treasures!
lotus is a perennial aquatic herb of the genus Nelumbo. "Flora of China" records that: rhizome (lotus root) is used as vegetable or starch (lotus root powder) is extracted; Leaves, petioles, receptacle, flowers, stamens, fruits, seeds and rhizomes are all used for medicine; Lotus leaves and petioles can be boiled in water to clear away summer heat. Leaves are substitutes for tea and can also be used as packaging materials.
(Image from Meow Meow Plant Control)
Yes, the lotus is covered with treasure, lotus, lotus root, lotus leaf and lotus root belt, which satisfies the taste buds of every foodie. According to the seasonal order, you can have a delicious summer by eating it. Lotus leaf is the most easily obtained food, which can be paired with fish, fragrant and greasy, and can also be used to make porridge with japonica rice and mung beans to relieve summer heat and cool.
(Photo from Meow Meow Plant Control)
Lotus root band is the tender stem tip of lotus, which can only be picked around May every year. People in Hubei and Anhui like to eat it best, and the methods of stir-frying and sour and spicy are the most classic, crisp and delicious. The lotus root band continues to develop and expand, and it becomes lotus root (so lotus root is the stem of lotus, so it is called rhizome because it looks like a root). Although the taste and taste are slightly changed, the practice is similar to that of lotus root band. In addition, lotus root and ribs can be simmered in a casserole, and the legendary lotus root ribs soup can be transformed.
(Image from Meow Meow Plant Control)
Lotus seed is a household name. It is the seed of lotus. The newly mature lotus seed is crisp, tender and sweet, and it is delicious when eaten fresh and fried.
(Image from Meow Meow Plant Control)
Some nicknames of lotus
However, the brief and concise description of lotus in Flora of China above really can't express all kinds of feelings that China people place on lotus. Let's take a look at these nicknames given to lotus by the ancients: Fu Fu (from Er Ya), Furong (from Notes on Ancient and Modern Times), Han Han (from The Book of Songs) and so on.
(Image from Meow Meow Plant Control)
Li Bai loves lotus, so he calls himself a violet layman, "on Mirror Lake outspread for miles and miles, the lotus lilies in full blossom teem", "The lotus plucker by the Ruoye River laughs at the lotus." Poets have written countless poems for lotus flowers that have been sung through the ages. "Tai Ping Guang Ji" tells the story of lotus cultivation: I tasted our boat in Zhaotan, and it was only midnight, and I couldn't sleep. Suddenly I saw three big lotus flowers on the pond, and the red fragrance was quite different. There are three beautiful women, all dressed in white, as bright as snow and as bright as a fairy. * * * language: "Tonight, the water is clear and the sky is bright, enjoying the scenery, which is like a mysterious story."
(Image from Meow Meow Plant Control)
Every time it is baptized by summer thunderstorm, this tall emergent plant becomes the most beautiful scenery in the pond. Lotus is so "story-telling". Enjoy it with these beautiful feelings this summer!
Editor: Yao Di
(Author: Sun Hai, author of plant science popularization, author of miaomiao plant control, original works)