Kodaihasu 古代蓮 @ Gyoda

Kodaihasu (古代蓮) literally means “ancient lotus” refers to preserved lotus seeds, perhaps 2500-3000 years old, found in 1971 in the a construction ground at Kemigawa (検見川), Chiba prefecture (千葉県).

The seeds were germinated and planted in a garden in Gyoda (行田市), Saitama prefecture (埼玉県).  Today, over 120,000 lotus plants of 42 different variety grow in the kodaihasu-no-sato ( 古代蓮池 “ancient lotus pond” ).

Nymphaeaceae vs Nelumbonaceae

	Nymphaeaceae	Nelumbonaceae
taxonomic position	angiosperms | Nymphaeales	angiosperms | eudicots | Proteales
Genera (species)	Barclaya (4), Euryale (1), Nuphar (11), Nympahea (33), Ondinea (1), Victoria (3)	Nelumbo (2)
distribution	temperate, tropical	cosmopolitan
botanical description	Root rhizome, sometime tuberous, latex, scattered vascular bundles.	Root rhizome stolonous with air chambers.
	Leaves ovate, peltate, margin entire to spinose-dentate; floating, up to 300cmÆ,  submersed or emersed.	Leaves circular, peltate, slightly haired, margin entire, up to 60cm Æ, above water.
	Flower solitary, radial, bisexual, protogynous, diurnal or nocturnal, submersed or above water, termoregulated, entomophily, up to 40cmÆ; pistil 1, 3-35 carpellate.	Flowers solitary, radial, bisexual, protogynous, diurnal, fragrant, above water, termoregulated, entomophily, up to 25cmÆ; pistils numerous, 1-carpellate, large carpellary receptacle.
	Fruit berry, nut or capsule; dehiscent or indehiscent..	Fruit conical pod, spongy, indehiscent, seeds in cavities.
	Seeds numerous; aril present or absent; endosperm sparse; perisperm abundant; cotyledons 2, fleshy.	Seeds without aril, endosperm and perisperm; cotyledons 2, fleshy.
	Pollen monoaperturate	Pollen triaperturate

Nelumbo nucifera - Lotus 荷花

Lotus is a flowering plant in the family Nelumbonaceae.  It is also known as Rose of India, Indian lotus, sacred water lily, scared lotus, etc.

Lotus was formerly known as Nelumbium speciosum (Willd.), Nymphaea nelumbo, etc. which are all now obsolete.   The only name currently recognized is  Nelumbo nucifera (Gaertn.) .

In China, it is known as  莲花 or 荷花, ancient scripts recorded it as 芙蓉, 菡萏, 芙蕖.  It is often mistaken for waterlily  睡蓮, which is of Nymphaea genus.  Nelumbo and Nymphaea are currently classified under entirely different families.

The generic name Nelumbo is derived from the Sinhalese word ‘Nelum’.   The specific name nucifera is Latin for “nut-bearing”.

There are only 2 known living species in the genus : the sacred lotus – Nelumbo nucifera – of Asia ; and the American lotus – Nelumbo lutea – of North America.   Hybrids have been produced between N. nucifera and N. lutea.   A third extinct species, Nelumbo aureavallis is known from Eocene fossils from North Dakota, USA.

The roots of Nelumbo nucifera are planted in the soil of water bottom, while the leaves are often held above water surface.  
Leaves are peltate, circular, and superhydrophobicity.   
Flowers are pink in colour, hermaphrodite, entomophily, thermoregulated. 
Seed pods are conical, green upon maturity, turn brown when ripened.   
Seeds contained in holes in the pod, loose when ripe.