Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-10-18
WATER LILIES AND THE LOTUS.
The Flower of the HOmeric Myth
and Its Associations.

and Its Associations.
From the NeD York Star
Numbers of persons may be seen every
day gazing at the wonderful display Of
water lilies in the basin In the centre of
Union square, There are now four dis
tinct varieties in bloom. The middle Of
the basin is filed with a group of singu-
lar lilies, standing high out of the water.
Great rosy flowers, wide bowl-shaped
leaves, and singular seed vessels crown
ing each stem several feet above the sur
face. Nearer the rim are what look ike
large, white pond lilies, larger red fow-
ers similar in shape, and magnificent
blue variety, floating in the midst of their
cleft circular pods.
The chief interest Of the collection,
however, does not depend upon the beau
ty or untamlliarity of the flowers but upon
the fact that we have here some modern
representatives of one of the oldest and
most aristocratic families Of the vegeta-
BILE kingdom. The portraits Of the an-
cestors OF these water lilies may be found
on temples and tOmbs contemporary with
the hoary monolith wenrying away the
years of its exile in Central Park. They
represent the sacred lotus Of the East.
The plants in the centre OF the basin
could scarcely be better described than
before Christ by Theophrastus: 1.-The fow-
er is twice the size of poppy, of the col
or OF a full-blown rose, and elevated above
the water. About "9"n flower are pro-
duced large leaves tt the size OF Thes-
salin hat" On some OF the stems is "a
poppy-like seed vessel, i'll each of the cells
there is bean projecting little above
the seed vessels, which usually contains
about thirty OF these beans or seeds"
L cd 10
like the rose OF a green watering-pot
elevated on a stem.
This plan (Nelumbium speciosum) is
the sacred lotus OF India, and In Hindoo
mythology is dedicated to the Indian We
nus. 1t also serves as the seal OF Brah-
ma. the creator, and as the floating she'll
which bears Vshuu, the preserVer. Being
the most sacred OF flowers II was offered
to any OF the gOds.
In China and Thibet it still preserves a
sacred character. About a century ago.
as is mentioned by Sir William Jones,
native OF Nepaul entering room where he
mad one of these plants awaiting examl-
tiou, poetrated himself before the flower.
In China the "Holy Mother" is rarely
seen without it. One legend has it that
the Monaghan Madonna, after eating of
the seed, brought forth son, who grew
to be q great worker OF miracles. When
sitting the "Holy Mother" 10 represented
as placed on one of the leaves OF the Ne
lumbium; when standing she holds its
flower in her hand.
The leaves OF the plant are penetrated
with cooled spirals OF great tenacity,
which are extracted and eventually used
as wicks In the sacred lamps, kept alight
before the Hindoo deities. These spiral
vessels, It may be said in passing, are
not at all peculiar to this plant or family,
but are common, In one form or another,
to all plants higher than the MOSES, and
serve as air passages, and occasionally as
sap-conducting vessels.
Both the fruit and the roots Of this water
lily are edible. The bean is eaten green,
the root either raw, boiled or roasted,
This plant, though it figures as the lotus in
India, in Egypt, where II once aourished,
was called the KyamOs or Egyptian bean.
IL is no longer to be found in the land
where 1t probably originated.
The lotus, which has found its way into
the history and the myths, and in con-
ventionalized form into the ancient archi-
lecture OF Egypt, Is not always the same
plant. The attempt to find some flower
which would answer to the various de-
soriptions and illusions scattered through
the classics has proved fruitful source
OF confusion 10 modern travellers.
The lotus OF the Nile Is a water lily be-
longing to the same family rs our common
pond lily. There are several varieties
blue, pink and Whitehall closely allied.
Very good examples OF the epecies may be
seen in Union square. The beautiful