The 2012 ASHS Annual Conference

Sacred lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) is an herbaceous perennial macrophyte that grows in stagnant waters.  Considerable variation in flower color and shape makes sacred lotus one of the most popular ornamental plants cultivated in Asia.  For centuries, various parts of the plant have been used in folk medicine and the plant’s medicinal properties are currently being investigated and refined in pharmaceutical labs. Lotus produces starchy rhizomes, leaves, petioles, seeds, flowers and other edible tissues.  American lotus (N. lutea) is an emersed native that is typically found in muddy, shallow waters such as lake margins and in water as deep as 2 meters.  American lotus is native to the eastern and central portions of the USA ranging from Maine to Wisconsin in the north, and in the south from Florida to Texas and northeastern Mexico.  The overall objective of this study is to evaluate vegetative growth, ornamental characters and cropping potential of selected accessions of ornamental, edible sacred lotus and American lotus.  The Aquatic Plant Science lab (University of Florida) and the USA-SINO Research Center for Aquatic Vegetables and Ornamentals (Auburn University) have joined efforts to explore the genus.  Experimental plots have been established at UF Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center to facilitate these evaluations. Previous surveys revealed that consumers prefer medium or large plants with pink, red, yellow or white flowers, in double or multi-petal forms.  Based on these consumer preferences and performance studies (conducted at Auburn University and its Experiment Stations), the cultivars ‘Dense Dew’, ‘Friendship Pink’, ‘Pink in Green Layers’, “Guifei Zhuijiu’, ‘Beautiful Bowl’, ‘Brocade Flag’, ‘Illustrious Youth’, ‘Juicy Peach’, and ‘Leadership’ have been selected as desirable pink flower producers.  Red flowered lotus with potential are ‘aH3’, ‘Camellia Red’, ’04-R-31’, and ‘04-R-07’, while white flowered cultivars include ‘Karizma’, ‘Birthday Peach’, ‘Decorated Lantern’, ‘Jewel Flower’, ‘Little Brocade-edge’, and ‘Wenjun Fuhong’. Native taxa of American lotus are also being evaluated to assess intraspecific biodiversity; future studies based on these experiments will identify the species’ potential as a source of novel genetic material.