American Lotus (Nelumbo Lutea)

Legendary aquatic, choice edible, native, ornamental, wildlife powerhouse. American lotus is an incredible plant. The nuts and tubers are the most commonly used culinary parts from cultures around the world. Yellow flowers are the largest of any North American species. Circular leaves are so beautiful as they are waterproof and droplets of water bead on top of them like jewels.

They grow right out of the mud making high quality nuts, tubers, and flowers. Frogs, fish, and turtles thrive in lotus patches while the blossoms feed pollinators.

How to Germinate

The seeds are not hard to germinate. They last for thousands of years. In fact, lotus seeds found in Egyptian tombs have been sprouted. They are protected in a hard shell. Scar the shell with a file until you see a bit of white. Plant in soil under an inch or two of water. They’ll sprout within a week or two.

Lotus nuts can be stored dry at room temperature in any protected space.

We have two different seed sources for American Lotus. One source is a massive and healthy wild patch growing in Cayuga lake. The other is from plants growing in a pond here at Twisted Tree. This patch was started with seeds from the upper headwaters of the Mississippi in a zone 3 area. This is the most northern population of lotus we have heard of.