Hot lotus hot

1996/12/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Botanika

The lotus flower is ideal for attracting pollinating insects and heating them. A team from the University of Adelaide (Australia) has shown that the Nelumbo nucifera lotus maintains a temperature of 30 to 35 °C within its flower.

The process begins two days before the opening of the petals. Due to its proximity to the time of fertilization, the temperature of the flower is stabilized. When the female organ (pistil) is ready, the flower opens slightly. Then the flies and other small coleoptera are attracted by the temperature.

There they remain until the stamens arrive in the chamber of flowers. The insects that have arrived with the pollen of a flower, leave out with that of another. Then the flower ends its homeotermal season and then snows. After maintaining a very hot environment for fertilisation, it returns to the normal temperature, that is, to the ambient temperature.