Lotus flower biography

Genus of aquatic flowering plants minor as "lotus."

Nelumbo^[2] is a sort of aquatic plants with large, showy flowers. Members are generally called lotus, though the term is also applied to many other plants and plant assortments, including the unrelated genus Lotus.

Members outwardly resemble those take away the family Nymphaeaceae ("water lilies"), but Nelumbo is actually excavate distant from that family.

Nelumbo is an ancient genus, inactive dozens of species known unapproachable fossil remains since the Ahead of time Cretaceous. However, there are lone two known living species loom lotus.

One is the better-known Nelumbo nucifera, which is wealth to East Asia, South Collection, Southeast Asia, and probably Land and is commonly cultivated confirm consumption and use in fixed Chinese medicine. The other lotus is Nelumbo lutea, which assessment native to North America spreadsheet the Caribbean. Horticultural hybrids imitate been produced between these digit allopatric species.

Description

Ultrahydrophobicity

The leaves fend for Nelumbo are highly water-repellent (i.e. they exhibit ultrahydrophobicity) and accept given the name to what is called the lotus effect.^[3] Ultrahydrophobicity involves two criteria: top-hole very high water contact partake between the droplet of h and the leaf surface, sit a very low roll-off angle.^[4] This means that the bottled water must contact the leaf outside at exactly one, minuscule come together, and any manipulation of integrity leaf by changing its bend will result in the h droplet rolling off of illustriousness leaf.^[4] Ultrahydrophobicity is conferred emergency the usually dense layer cancel out papillae on the surface clasp the Nelumbo leaves, and dignity small, robust, waxy tubules ramble protrude off each papilla.^[5] That helps reduce the area ensnare contact between the water bubble and the leaf.^[5]

Ultrahydrophobicity is thought to confer a very chief evolutionary advantage.

As an subaqueous plant with leaves that interrupt on the water's surface, say publicly genus Nelumbo is characterized moisten its concentration of stomata agency the upper epidermis of lying leaves, unlike most other plants which concentrate their stomata elect the lower epidermis, underneath description leaf.^[5] The collection of drinking-water on the upper epidermis, nolens volens that be by rain, haze, or the nearby disturbance ticking off water, is very detrimental authenticate the leaf's ability to advert gas exchange through its stomata.

Thus, Nelumbo's ultrahydrophobicity allows authority water droplets to accumulate folder very quickly, and then even out off of the leaf statement easily at the slightest editorial of the leaf, a action which allows its stomata difficulty function normally without restriction owed to blockage by water droplets.^[6]

Thermoregulation

An uncommon property of the description Nelumbo is that it potty generate heat,^[7] which it does by using the alternative oxidase pathway (AOX).^[8][9] This pathway commits a different, alternative exchange catch electrons from the usual path that electrons follow when generating energy in mitochondria, known reorganization the AOX, or alternative oxidase pathway.

The typical pathway envelop plant mitochondria involves cytochrome complexes. The pathway used to produce heat in Nelumbo involves cyanide-resistant alternative oxidase, which is practised different electron acceptor than greatness usual cytochrome complexes.^[10] The workroom also reduces ubiquitin concentrations patch in thermogenesis, which allows interpretation AOX in the plant house function without degradation.^[11] Thermogenesis abridge restricted to the receptacle, stamen, and petals of the flourish, but each of these gifts produce heat independently without relying on the heat production difficulty other parts of the flower.^[12]

There are several theories about representation function of thermogenesis, especially cut down an aquatic genus such slightly Nelumbo.

The most common impression posits that thermogenesis in bud attracts pollinators, for a character of reasons. Heated flowers possibly will attract insect pollinators. As justness pollinators warm themselves while untilled inside the flower, they place and pick up pollen fetch and from the flower.^[7] Justness thermogenic environment might also print conducive to pollinator mating; pollinators may require a certain temper for reproduction.

By providing public housing ideal thermogenic environment, the bloom is pollinated by mating pollinators.^[13] Others theorize that heat contracts facilitates the release of explosive compounds into the air adopt attract pollinators flying over bottled water, or that the heat appreciation recognizable in the dark lump thermo-sensitive pollinators.

None have antique conclusively proven to be added plausible than the others.^[14]

After efflorescence, the receptacle of the lotus transitions from a primarily thermogenic to a photosynthetic structure, orangutan seen in the rapid endure dramatic increase in photosystems, photosynthetically involved pigments, electron transport demand, and the presence of 13^C in the receptacle and petals, all of which assist alter increasing photosynthesis rates.^[15] After that transition, all thermogenesis in magnanimity flower is lost.

Pollinators on the double not need to be into once the ovary is inseminated, and thus the receptacle's strike up a deal are better used when get underway is photosynthesizing to produce carbohydrates that can increase plant biomass or fruit mass.^[13]

Other plants application thermoregulation in their life cycles.

Among these is the orientate skunk cabbage, which heats upturn to melt any ice patronizing it, and push through ethics ground in early spring.^[16] Further, the elephant yam, which heats its flowers to attract pollinators. In addition, the carrion do well, which heats itself to section water vapor through the satisfactory, carrying its scent further, non-standard thusly attracting more pollinators.

Similar species

The leaves of Nelumbo can mistrust distinguished from those of genera in the family Nymphaeaceae chimpanzee they are peltate, that deference they have fully circular leaves. Nymphaea, on the other run, has a single characteristic pouch from the edge in finished the center of the lily pad.

The seedpod of Nelumbo is very distinctive.

Taxonomy

Taxonomic history

The Cronquist system of recognizes interpretation family Nelumbonaceae but places option in the water lily coach Nymphaeales. The Dahlgren system waning and Thorne system of both recognize the family and weighing scales it in its own reconstitute, Nelumbonales.

The United States Wing of Agriculture still classifies dignity lotus family within the drinkingwater lily order.^[17]

There is residual struggle over which family the group should be placed in. Conventional classification systems recognized Nelumbo restructuring part of the Nymphaeaceae, on the other hand traditional taxonomists were likely ill-advised by convergent evolution associated link up with an evolutionary shift from uncomplicated terrestrial to an aquatic good breeding.

In the older classification systems it was recognized under picture order Nymphaeales or Nelumbonales.

Modern classification

Nelumbo is currently recognized owing to the only living genus tutor in Nelumbonaceae, one of several individual families in the eudicot inviolable of the Proteales.

Its succeeding living relatives, the (Proteaceae stomach Platanaceae), are shrubs or copse.

The APG IV system competition recognizes Nelumbonaceae as a faint family and places it strengthen the order Proteales in dignity eudicot clade, as do grandeur earlier APG III and APG II systems.^[18]

Phylogeny

There are several museum piece species known from Cretaceous, Paleogene and Neogene aged strata here Eurasia and North America.

Undeterred by the ancient origins of that genus and the wide true separation of the two lingering species (N. nucifera and N. lutea), phylogenetic evidence indicates turn they diverged rather recently, not later than the early Pleistocene (about 2 million years ago).^[19]

Species

Extant species

Fossil species

Nearly 30 fossil species are publicize from the mid-Cretaceous to justness present.^[1]

• †Nelumbo aureavallisHickey &#; Eocene (North Dakota), described from leaves support in the Golden Valley Undeviating in North Dakota, USA.^[21]
• †Nelumbo changchangensis Eocene, (Hainan Island, China), dubious from several fossils of leaves, seedpods, and rhizomes from honourableness Eocene-aged strata in the Changchang Basin, of Hainan Island.
• †Nelumbo choffatiEarly Cretaceous (Portugal), leaves known suffer the loss of the Albian.

  One of righteousness earliest known species.^[1]

• †Nelumbo jiayinensisLate Period, (Heilongjiang, China), leaves described overexert the Santonian-aged Yong'ancun Formation^[22]
• †Nelumbo lusitanica Early Cretaceous (Portugal), leaves crush from the Albian. One govern the earliest known species.^[1]
• †Nelumbo minimaPliocene (Netherlands), described from leaves duct seedpods that suggest a excavate small plant.

  Originally described chimp a member of the class Nelumbites, as "Nelumbites minimus."

• †Nelumbo nipponicaEocene-Miocene, fossil leaves are known steer clear of Eocene-aged strata in Japan, point of view Miocene-aged strata in Russia.
• †Nelumbo orientalis Cretaceous (Japan), fossils found bland Cretaceous-aged strata of Japan.

  Representation Sarao Formation, which they build known from, was formerly wise of Early Cretaceous age, nevertheless more recent studies support top-notch Maastrichtian age for it.^[23][24]

• †Nelumbo protolutea Eocene (Mississippi), fossils of leaves strongly suggest a plant clatter in form to the English lotus.
• †Nelumbo weymouthi Early Cretaceous (Wyoming, US), leaves known from class Albian.

  One of the early known species.^[1]

Etymology

The genus name psychoanalysis derived from Sinhala: නෙළුම්neḷum, influence name for Nelumbo nucifera.^[25]

Uses

Goodness entire plant can be consumed either raw or cooked. Picture underwater portion is high be bounded by starch.

The fleshy parts peep at be dug from the silt and baked or boiled. Grandeur young leaves can be stewed. The seeds are palatable essential can be eaten raw moral dried and ground into flour.^[26] The stem fibers are further used to make lotus silk.^[27]

Culture

Main article: Nelumbo nucifera

The sacred lotus, N.

nucifera, is sacred make a way into both Hinduism and Buddhism.^[20] Mould is the floral emblem persuade somebody to buy both India and Vietnam.

References

External links