4. The pink lotus

The original area of promulgation of the pink lotus was from Vietnam till Afghanistan. It was introduced into Egypt at a fairly late date, although there is some disagreement about when exactly. The flower may have been known in Egypt from contacts with the East (notably Babylonia), before it was actually grown locally. Many models in clay and faience of the flower’s characteristic seed head have been found, and apparently some of these date already from the New Kingdom (Wilson, 26). Most authorities however assume the Late Period to be the time of its first introduction into Egypt.

© G.A. Cooper @ USDA-NCRS PLANTS Database

The Latin name of the pink lotus is Nelumbo nucifera. One may occasionally encounter several other names for it though, such as Nelumbium speciosum, Nelumbo nucifera speciosum or Nymphaea nelumbo. It comes today in many varieties: both cultivated and natural.

© Alan S. Heilman, University of Tennessee

On this photograph, the yellow seed head in the middle of the flower is particularly clearly visible. Beneath the circular openings on its surface, the seeds are ripening.
 

This Nelumbo Nucifera is almost perfectly white. As you can see in the foreground, after the petals have fallen off, the seed head rests for a while alone on the stalk, before toppling over into the water, floating away to spread its seeds.

When the pink lotus finally arrived on the Egyptian scene, it was in any event too late to have an impact on the development of tradition. So for our queries, we can from here on ignore it.

Back to start         Previous         Next          Thumbnails