Nelumbo Pygmaea White - Sacred Lotus

The Nelumbo 'Pygmaea White' is an adorable dwarf lotus that offers white cup-shaped flowers adorned with golden stamens, slightly fragrant. Well adapted to small ponds and container gardening, this variety has the exotic charm of the sacred lotus of India, but the plant is shorter and less vigorous. It has decorative round leaves and blooms for long weeks in summer. This lotus is hardy if its rhizome does not freeze. It can also be taken out of the water in autumn and stored in frost-free conditions, in slightly moist mud.

The Lotus 'Pygmaea White' is a perennial plant of the Nelumbonaceae family. It is an aquatic plant whose foliage and flower rise above the water, unlike water lilies. The original range of the species, Nelumbo nucifera, includes Southeast Asia and Northern Australia. In these regions, it inhabits large ponds and muddy waterways, standing out majestically.

The 'Pygmaea White' variety develops blue-green leaves from spring, more or less upright, with a flat or concave surface, slightly undulating on the edges. Water droplets on their surface bead up instead of spreading out due to the hydrophobic quality of the epidermis. The entire and peltate lamina, measuring between 15 and 20 cm in diameter, attaches to the very brittle rhizome by a thin spiny petiole, fixed beneath the centre of the leaf. The plant will rise to about 55 cm above the water surface. Flowering begins in June-July and extends until autumn. The flowers, with crumpled texture, measuring 10 cm in diameter, are solitary. They persist for several days before wilting and will be replaced by new flower buds. This flowering is followed by the formation of highly decorative fruits shaped like a watering can with small holes that release the mature seeds. It is often used in the making of dried bouquets and contains numerous seeds that will eventually sink and germinate in the mud.

The Dwarf Lotus is ideal for small water plants and adapts well to cultivation in various watertight containers that will decorate the terrace or balcony. The number of flowers produced depends on the size of the cultivation container. In a container with a diameter of 30 cm, the plant will produce between 3 and 8 flowers, 8 to 15 flowers in a 50 cm container, and up to 25 in a basin or a barrel with an 80 cm diameter.

Lotus and water lilies will be the main attraction of your pond plantings. Most of them bloom from spring to early autumn. The lotus is also an essential plant for maintaining the balance of a garden pond as it contributes to water oxygenation. Its leaves provide shade and shelter for your fish, which in return protect them from predatory insects such as aphids.

The entire plant is edible. The seeds are consumed candied and the rhizome is a nourishing starch. The yellow stamens are used to flavor tea in Vietnam. The rhizome and seeds are also used in Chinese cosmetics to fight against aging, as well as in medicine and perfumery.

The perfection of the flower and fruit of the sacred lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) makes this aquatic plant a symbol of purity in several religions. In Buddhism, it derives its sacred character from the belief that Buddha appeared floating on its leaf. In Hinduism, it is perceived as the cradle of the universe.