Angelo Wiebel, age 11, of Longview, Wash., for his question:
DOES THE LOTUS GROW ONLY UNDER WATER?
Lotus is a name given to many different kinds of plants. Many types can grow without being under water. A common type is a shrub also called the parrot's beak that has prostrate trailing stems. With flowers that look like sweetpeas, this lotus grows in the ground and only needs a little summer watering.
A lotus with the scientific name of Nelumbo is a water plant, and it is the lotus most people think of when they hear the common name of the Egyptian water lily. An American lotus is also well known, and it too is a water plant.
The Egyptian water lily is a familiar sight along the Nile River and neighboring streams. This plant has white or rose purpose flowers that may be a foot across.
Egyptian lotus flowers grown on a weak stalk that may be four to eight feet long and rise only a little above the water. The leaves of the lotus plant spread out on the surface of the water.
The lotus was a sacred flower to the people of Egypt, India and China. The plant is also the national flower of India. A species of the lotus appears in ancient Egyptian art.
The American lotus is a close relative of the East Indian lotus. It also is known as the water chinquapin and yellow water lily.
The American lotus has yellow flowers and leaves are on the stout stalks that stand two to three feet above the water.
There are large beds of lotus plants in Grass Lake, about SO miles northwest of Chicago. These plants cover about 600 acres and make a wonderful sight in August.
Other famous lotus beds are found near New York City, in Monroe, Mich., in Southern California and in the valleys of the Missouri and Mississippi rivers.
The botanical name Lotus belongs to a genus of the pea family. There are more than 80 species of plants in the family.
Lotus flowers can be found in white, yellow, red or purple.
If you buy one of the water plants for your home pond, it can be grown with not too many problems. If you acquire started plants in containers, put them directly into a pond with eight to 12 inches of water over the soil surface. If you get roots, plant them in the spring horizontally, four inches deep in containers of fairly rich soil. Place the soil under water after the roots have been planted.
It won't be long until huge round leaves attached at the center of the leaf stalks grow above the water level. Large fragrant flowers will form in summer and many will grow above the leaves.
Ornamental woody fruit forms during the summer that looks like salt shakers perforated with holes. The fruit is excellent for dried arrangements.
Roots should not freeze. Where freezing is possible in a home pond, cover the water during the chilly weather.