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Manipur’s rare 108 petal lotus now at NBRI Lucknow
The National Botanical Research Institute (NBRI) of Lucknow has about 20 varieties of lotus flowers including the rare 108 petal lotus, usually found in Manipur
The National Botanical Research Institute (NBRI) of Lucknow has about 20 varieties of lotus flowers including the rare 108 petal lotus, usually found in Manipur.
“We collected this 108-petal lotus from its natural habitat and planted it on our campus garden where it is now growing naturally. We also have planted 1000 petal lotus, but it’s yet to grow,” said professor SK Barik, director, NBRI, Lucknow.
“The number of petals in Manipur is usually greater than 100, and we have planted them here in Lucknow where they are yet to fully bloom. We also have planted two plants in waterlily pond and 9 plants in water tubs. We have 20 other varieties of lotus flowers that are popular in the market. Besides, we have also collected several landraces from different parts of U.P., Assam, and MP,” he added.
“Besides its religious and cultural significance, lotus has a lot of nutritional value too. Our focus is not only on expanding the number of varieties but also on improving its nutritional value, which is critical in the pharmaceutical industry. Even though it is our national flower, it is currently grown only in a limited area. We aim to popularise and scale up its commercialization so that people who grow it make more profit than before,” NBRI director said.
“Sacred Lotus grows all over India, displaying vast morphological diversity with many racial variants in shapes, sizes, and shades of pink and white flowers with 16-160 petals. The number of petals in most lotus races in northern India, particularly in the Gangetic plains, ranges from 16 to 36,” said Dr KJ Singh, senior scientist, NBRI.
