Nelumbo nucifera, also known as Sacred Lotus or Indian Lotus, grace the ponds in San Tin, Yuen Long, with its large pink flowers which floats above the water surface and the sea of enormous peltate lotus leaves, Around June to October, the plant blooms for about three days with flowers opening in the morning and closing at night each day. In addition to the fragrance and elegance of the blossoms, the plants also impress their audience by their umbrella-like leaves with long petiole rising above the water. The pond provides the visitors with splendid scenery of the Lotus in the open, peaceful and natural surroundings.
The ability to grow in sticky mud makes Nelumbo nucifera a symbol of purity and divinity in a polluted world, thus having a deep religious meaning to Hindus and Buddhists. In additional to its ornamental and cultural value, the plant is also valued as medicine and food. Almost all parts of a lotus, including its seeds, tubers, leaves, stems and flowers are edible and are a good source of nutrition.
