The symbolic meaning of the double-peduncle lotus
During the growth process of lotus, "generally only one flower bud and one meristematic center are formed. When a flower blooms, if it is stimulated by some special external environmental conditions or special internal mutations, the flower buds on one stem may differentiate into two meristematic centers and then develop two twins. The flower buds form two flower pedicles on one flower stalk, and two flowers bloom together to form a pair of lotus pods. This is the double-pedicle lotus.
The double-pedicle lotus is known as the "gentleman among flowers". The best among lotus flowers, since ancient times, people have regarded it as a sign of auspiciousness and joy, the embodiment of kindness and beauty. The symbolic meaning of the lotus is a hundred years of good union and eternal unity.
In ancient literary works. The Bingti Lotus is known as a symbol of love, symbolizing love and happiness between husband and wife. The symbolic meaning of Bingti Lotus includes the love between men and women; the love between brothers and their deep feelings. “The lotus is covered with green water, and the hibiscus is covered with red. The famous saying "There are lotus roots with double roots below and lotus with double stems above" is widely recited.
"There are lotus roots with double roots below and lotus with double stems above". The Bingdilian is known as the "gentleman among flowers" and is the best among lotus flowers, symbolizing a hundred years of love and eternal unity. The parallel-pedicled lotus has one stem and two flowers, which can be said to be a symbol of the same heart, the same roots, the same blessings, and the same growth. In ancient literary works, Bingtilian is known as a symbol of love, implying love and happiness between husband and wife.
. Lotus experts have conducted repeated cultivation experiments using lotus seeds that have grown double-peduncled lotus and lotus seeds in parallel-peduncled lotus pods. The results are that no double-peduncled lotus can be produced, proving that it is not heritable and can only occur naturally. There is a parallel lotus pond in Tinglin Park. In June 2011, a rare "parallel lotus" was also discovered in Fuzhou Chating Park.
The history of Cultivation of Bingtilian
Although legends about it spread throughout the country and make people yearn for it, there are not many places where Bingtilian is actually cultivated. Nowadays, it is planted in patches and carefully cultivated. It has luxuriant flowers and leaves, double calyces and pedicles, and the unique red color reflected in the sun is the first to be recommended in Tinglin Garden in Kunshan City, Jiangsu Province. The lotus planted in the garden is a thousand-petaled lotus with dense petals. In 1985, we counted one flower with 2601 petals. It is truly worthy of its name. The flower head is heavy and the pedicel is easy to break. It needs to be supported by a vertical pole to prevent it from falling. However, the lotus has always been used in the garden. No fruiting was seen among the flowers that bloomed. The parallel lotus in Tinglin Garden is known as the "ancient lotus in the late Yuan Dynasty". According to the "County Chronicle": Gu Aying, a famous poet in Kunshan in the late Yuan Dynasty, built the "Jade Mountain Beautiful Place" garden in Zhengyi Dongting Village, Kunshan, with dozens of pavilions, terraces, towers and pavilions, and planted lotus flowers in the pond. It is said that the lotus species came from Central Asia. The lotus with double calyxes has the shape of "double calyx and head", "nine-pin lotus platform", "worshiping Guanyin on all sides", and there are also thirteen heads clustered on the top of the flower stem, but the double calyx and head is rare. Zhong Ying was "talented and talented, and made friends with literary friends all over the world. He drank wine, composed poems, and listened to music and appreciated paintings. His literary activities were so prosperous that he was unparalleled for a while." At that time, celebrities such as Ni Zan and Gao Zecheng often went to Guzhai to appreciate lotus flowers. According to legend, the bottom of the lotus pond in the East Pavilion was paved with stone slabs, with holes drilled in the slab like a lotus room, and the lotus stems were drilled out of the holes. Therefore, it has not been dug up and has been passed down to this day.
Zhengyi’s “Best Place in Yushan” garden has experienced more than 600 years of vicissitudes, and has since become deserted and withered, but the lotus flowers have been preserved. In 1935, Mr. Ye initiated the establishment of the "Guyuan Site Preservation Committee" to renovate the garden, renovate the East Pavilion lotus pond, and build a large square pavilion next to the pond, named Junzi Pavilion. According to Ye Gongchuo's research, the lotus "is definitely of Tianzhu species". undoubtedly". After appreciating the lotus, Ye composed the song "Colorful Tongxinknot" to remember the incident. Qu Yun: "My predecessor was Jinsu Junshang, Qiongying Dongting, and I hated to fall into the wind and vortex. For six hundred years, my spiritual roots are still there, just like I remember Luo Chunpo. King Haoliang's energy has faded, and he looks back in the sky, singing songs in Jingu. There is no one around, Red fragrance and weeping dew can increase sorrow and harm Qing'e. She lives in the desolate pond in Chichi and moves to Luopu. She recalls the Longhua meeting and smiles, and the Zen is waiting to be realized in the depths of the five clouds. The sleep gull is stable, and the world is far away. I wish I could offer it to Abbot Vimalakirti and accompany him with a cypress tree. "It was the lotus viewing season in mid-summer, and there was an endless stream of tourists, so the Beijing-Shanghai Express made an exception to stop at Zhengyi Station. , in order to attract tourists to appreciate the lotus, the Dongting Lotus Pond became famous for a while.
After liberation, in 1950, the People's Government of Jiangsu Province and Kunshan County decided to restore and develop traditional famous flowers. Later, the county government built a 437-square-meter lotus pond in front of the East Pavilion in Tinglin Garden. Bingtilian came. In addition, many pots (urns) of lotus with pedicles are also planted. It has been planted for more than 50 years. In 1963, the Humble Administrator's Garden in Suzhou also introduced more than 40 kilograms of thousand-leaf lotus (Bingdilian) from Kunshan Zhengyi Garden to the north side of Yuanxiang Hall and the pond in front of Xiangzhou. They bloomed that year and attracted many tourists. There is a flower in the flower pond with as many as thirteen centers and a total of more than 1,400 petals. The flowers droop due to overload. Mr. Lu Binshi, a scholar from Suzhou, praised it after viewing it: "It is difficult to see the whole flower when looking at it. Three thousand lotus flowers always bow their heads." After appreciating it, Mr. Zhou Shoujuan wrote an essay about it and praised it as "the flower is both beautiful and fragrant, and it is an extraordinary flower." Later, botanical gardens in Guangzhou, Shanghai, Hangzhou and other places also introduced the species to Tinglin Garden, spreading the plant to various places.
The author once saw this lotus species in Wuhan East Lake, Hubei Province in 1987 (Wuhan East Lake Moshan Botanical Garden is the lotus center of China). However, due to various reasons, unique parallel-pedunculated lotus groups have not yet been formed in various places. Still rare in the world. For this reason, Professor Wang Qichao, a Chinese lotus research expert, made a special trip to Kunming in 1996 to inspect the double-peduncle lotus in Tinglin Garden, and he was very impressed.
The lotus is a perennial aquatic plant with perennial roots. The underground stems are thin and jointed. After germination and growth, the leaves are first and then the flowers. The leaves are solitary and the lotus root tastes light and astringent.
After more than 50 years of cultivation, Kunshan Tinglin Garden has developed a set of experience in propagation, management, fertilization and prevention of pests and diseases, etc., so that this treasure can display its fragrance to tourists every midsummer. posture.
The lotus can also be planted in various large pots (cylinders). As long as the planting method is proper and the environment is suitable, it can bloom normally.
In 1999, four tanks of lotus flowers planted in Tinglin Garden participated in the Kunming World Garden Expo and were displayed in the "Wuzhong Xiaozhu" in the Jiangsu Pavilion. The lotus tank was customized by Yixing Jun Pottery Factory, and the edges of the basin were designed with colored glazes. The relief of the parallel-pedunculated lotus has an elegant and simple color that complements the double-pedunculated lotus in the vat.
Appearance record
In June 2018, a pot of lotus plants in the Jinling Bonsai Garden in Liangzhou, Xuanwu Lake bloomed with double-peduncled red lotuses.
In July 2019, in a lotus field on the outskirts of Zunyi City that had been left unattended for more than two years, a double-peduncle lotus flower bloomed and formed foliage.
On July 15, 2019, the second lotus flower bloomed in the Old Summer Palace in Beijing. On June 27, the first lotus flower was discovered for the first time.
In July 2019, a budding lotus appeared in the lotus pond of the large-scale live performance "Zen Shaolin Music Ceremony" in Zhongyue Songshan Mountain, Dengfeng, Henan.
On July 12, 2020, lotus flowers appeared among the lotus flowers in Xuanwu Lake. Half a month later, Xuanwu Lake reappeared.
On July 18, 2020, two parallel lotus plants were found in buds at Mochou Lake in Nanjing.
On the morning of July 24, 2020, a double-peduncle lotus appeared at the Flower Base of Old Summer Palace in Beijing.
On June 9, 2021, a parallel-pedunculated lotus was discovered in the Xuanwu Lake Scenic Area in Nanjing. Two flower buds grew side by side and were in bud.