Lotus plants have evolved to thrive in slow-moving river flood plains and delta environments. Every year, hundreds of thousands of seeds fall to the pond’s bottom from lotus stands. While some seeds sprout right away, and the majority are eaten by wildlife, the rest can remain dormant for a long time while the pond silts in and dries up. Sediments carrying these seeds are ripped open during floods, allowing the dormant seeds to rehydrate and start a new lotus colony.
The seeds of this aquatic perennial can last for many years in the right conditions, with the oldest reported lotus germination coming from seeds recovered from a dry lakebed in northeastern China that were 1,300 years old.
As a result, the Chinese hold the plant in high regard as a symbol of longevity.
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