History of lotus: The scientific name of lotus is Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn, and the lotus belongs to the genus Nelumbo of the Nymphaeaceae family. Nelumbo Adans. is one of the earliest species among angiosperms. According to paleobotanist research on fossils, 135 million years ago, lotus plants were distributed in many water areas in the northern hemisphere. At that time, the giant reptile dinosaurs were in the late stages of rapid decline. They grew on the earth much earlier than the appearance of human ancestors (2 million years ago). According to "Paleobotany" (1965) of the former Soviet Union A.H. Christopherovich, fossils of the genus Nelumbo were found in the Cretaceous Period in the Arctic region of North America and the Amur River in Asia (i.e. Heilongjiang), and in the Oligocene Period in Europe, East Asia (Sakhalin Island), and Japan. and in Miocene strata. At that time, the temperature on the earth was warmer than now. There were about 10 to 12 species of lotus plants, distributed on all five continents. With the advent of the Post-Ice Age, global temperatures dropped, causing many plants to become extinct, while others were forced to migrate, completely breaking their original geographical distribution. Suffering from this disaster, only two species of Lotus plants survived, and their distribution range was reduced. The Chinese lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) is distributed in Asia and northern Oceania, and the American lotus (N.lutea) has migrated to North America. Paleobotanists also pointed out that the Pleistocene to Holocene nectar excavated in Hokkaido and Kyoto, Japan The lotus fossil (2 million years ago) is similar to the modern Chinese lotus; the 10 million-year-old lotus leaf fossil excavated in the Qaidam Basin in China is similar to the modern Chinese lotus. In the 1970s, the Petroleum Exploration and Development Planning Institute of the Ministry of Petroleum and Chemical Industry of China and the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Paleontology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences recorded in the book "Early Tertiary Palynomorphs in the Bohai Coastal Area": ??in Panshan, Liaoning Province, Beidagang, Tianjin, Kenli, Shandong Province, Pollen fossils of two kinds of lotus were found in Guangrao and Cangzhou, Hebei Province. Fossils of Lotus plants have also been found in the strata of the Changchang Basin in Qiongshan, Hainan Island, my country, within the Tertiary tropical phytogeographic region. At present, the original wild lotus is still distributed in the lakes and swamps of Fuyuan, Hulin, Tongjiang, Shangzhi and other counties in Heilongjiang Province. The above shows that lotus is an ancient plant before the Ice Age. It, like metasequoia (melasequoiagly plostroboides), ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba), Chinese tulip tree (Liriodendron chinese), and North American sequoia (Sequoia sempervirens), is not swallowed up by glaciers during the ice age. Representatives of surviving relict plants. 2. Lotus has been favored by literati since ancient times, so it has many names, including lotus, hibiscus, water fungus, hibiscus, water rue, water bloom, water hibiscus, water hibiscus, water hibiscus, Zezhi, Yuhuan, grass hibiscus, June spring, Chinese lotus and other names. Why is it called lotus? "Compendium of Materia Medica" says: "The lotus stems carry leaves, and the leaves carry flowers." This is from the appearance. Hehe, look at me dropping my schoolbag. In "Shuowen Jiezi" there is a difference between "it has not developed into a lotus, and has developed into a hibiscus", which is divided according to the growth stage. If according to the holy and elegant temperament, it is also named Junzihua, Lingbo Fairy, Water Palace Fairy, Yuhuan and other elegant names. 3. If it is broken down into stems, leaves and fruits, there will be more. The stem is usually called lotus root, but it also has names such as Yujie, Yulinglong, and Jade-armed Dragon. Leaves are more particular, and can be divided into three types: the leaves first produced from the terminal buds, with small shapes and thin stalks, floating on the water, are called money leaves, or lotus leaves; the leaves that first grow from the lotus root are slightly larger and also float. The leaves that stand on the water surface are called floating leaves; the leaves that grow from the lotus root belt and stick out of the water are called standing leaves. Regardless of whether they are money leaves, floating leaves or standing leaves, they are relatively inwardly rolled into ribs before they emerge from the water. The vertical leaves grow sooner or later, and their size, height, and sequence show obvious ascending and descending steps. When a new lotus root is formed, the upright leaf that is pulled out is larger than the front and has shorter spines, which is called the "back handle leaf". In front of it, there is another small leaf with a short stalk and a reddish back, which is called the "terminal leaf". ". As long as people can identify the terminal leaves, they can find the location of the new lotus roots in the mud. The fruit of the lotus, lotus seeds, can also be called jade chrysalis or lake eyes. The strange thing is that these lotus seeds have not decayed for thousands of years. Even if they are antiques like fossils, they can sprout new ones if they are cultivated. 4. There are countless micron-sized waxy papilla structures attached to the surface of the lotus leaf.
When observing these papillae with an electron microscope, you can see that there are many nanometer-sized particles with a similar structure attached to the surface of each micron-sized papilla. Scientists call this the micron-nano dual structure of the lotus leaf. It is these tiny dual structures that make the contact area between the lotus leaf surface and water droplets or dust very limited, so the phenomenon of water droplets rolling on the leaf surface and taking away dust occurs. And the water does not stay on the surface of the lotus leaf. 5. Thailand, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Egypt, Guyana, India (Lotus?) 6. Macau has an indissoluble bond with the lotus. Among the place names, street names and well-known traditional buildings in Macau, there are Lian Yang, Lian Feng, Lian Feng Mountain, Lian Hua Mountain, Lian Feng Temple, Lian Hua Path, Lian Hua Village, Lian Xi Temple, Lian Hua Blessed Land, etc. Some ancient place names in Macau, such as Lianyang, Lotus Peak, Lotus Stem, etc., are all related to the lotus. More than a hundred years ago, the Macau Peninsula had not been reclaimed from the sea, and its topography resembled a lotus flower. Article 10 of the "Macao Basic Law" stipulates: In addition to flying and using the national flag and national emblem of the People's Republic of China, the Macao Special Administrative Region may also fly and use the regional flag and regional emblem of the Macao Special Administrative Region. The regional flag of the Macau Special Administrative Region is a green flag with five-star, lotus, bridge and sea water patterns. The regional emblem of the Macao Special Administrative Region has a five-star, lotus, bridge and sea water in the middle, with "Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China" and "Macao" in Portuguese written around it. The background color of the regional flag and regional emblem of the Macao SAR is green, which symbolizes peace and tranquility. Five five-pointed stars arranged in an arc are painted on it, symbolizing China's resumption of the exercise of sovereignty over Macao; the lotus, the bridge and the sea water symbolize Macao. The natural geographical features and natural landscapes imply that Macao is surrounded by China’s territorial waters and express the good wishes that Macao will maintain stable development after returning to the motherland. 7. /question/1310998.html 8. /hehua/shici/shici.htm 9. Jinan City, Shandong Province: In the 1980s, after the lotus was known as the "city flower" of Jinan City, Daming Lake became even more vibrant: weeping willows draped, Covered by lotus flowers, it is a lively scene. Jining City, Shandong Province: Lotus cultivation in Jining City has a history of about 2,000 years. Nowadays, there are more than 60 new varieties of lotus in Jining City. Xuchang City, Henan: In the 1980s, the lotus was known as the "city flower" of Xuchang City, which promoted the prosperity and development of lotus culture. Xiaogan City, Hubei: Since ancient times, wild lotuses have been everywhere in Xiaogan City, especially the Lotus Lake in the west of the city. Today, the urban area of ??Xiaogan is one of the lotus ponds. There is a "Lotus Pier" by the lake, a lotus pond in the city, and "Panmarsh Lotus Fragrance" has become one of the eight scenic spots in Xiaogan. Honghu City, Hubei Province: Honghu City, Hubei Province, famous for its Honghu Lake, has a water area of ??758 square kilometers. Lotus flowers bloom everywhere, making it a sea of ??lotus flowers. In 1987, Honghu was withdrawn from the county-level city. In 1991, the Municipal People's Congress passed the decision to use the lotus as the "city flower". Zhaoqing City, Guangdong Province: Zhaoqing City, Guangdong Province has been cultivating lotus for nearly a thousand years. The lotus flowers in Qixing Lake of Lihu Lake are the most famous. Lotus has become one of the favorite flowers of Zhaoqing people.