
BOTANICAL NOTES, NOTICES, AND QUERIES. 303 
root.’ The Sacred Bean (Nelumbium speciosum) appears to be both a more 
useful plant as well as more ornamental than the Nymphea Lotus, and it 
is not improbable that both plants were confounded by the Romans, from 
whom we have got the knowledge of these eatables. The roots of the 
Nelumbium axe still eaten in China, and are esteemed so highly as to be 
offered to guests to whom special marks of attention are rendered by their 
entertainers. The seeds also are very large and delicious,—as large as 
acorns, and as delicate as almonds. This plant, though not a native of 
Egypt, might have been cultivated there in the luxurious times of Anthony 
and Cleopatra, and some accounts of its excellence might have reached 
Rome. ‘That it would be confounded with the Nymphaea Lotus is not an 
improbable supposition. SYLVANUS. 
Another account of the Lotus.—Mr. Loudon, in his great work on Trees, 
‘Arboretum et Fruticetum Britannicum,’ in describing Celtis australis, 
says, ‘The fruit is blackish, and resembles a very small withered wild 
cherry, and not edible till the first frost, and it hangs on till the follow- 
ing spring. It is remarkably sweet, and is supposed to have been the 
Lotus of the ancients, the food of the Lotophagi, which Herodotus, Dios- 
corides, and Theophrastus describe as sweet, pleasant, and wholesome, and 
which Homer says was so delicious as to make those who ate it forget their 
country (Odyssey, lib. ix. v. 93). The berries are still eaten in Spain; 
and Dr. Walsh says that the Greeks are very fond of them.’ See Loudon’s 
work, as above, vol. i., p. 1414, second edition. LIBRARIUS. 
Lotus of the Ancients—This plant is, by some of our best authorities 
on the subject, believed to be the Rhamnus Lotus of Linneeus, which is sy- 
nonymous with the Zizyphus Lotus, Lam. It is a deciduous shrub, a 
native of the interior of Africa, but may be cuitivated in this country in a 
greenhouse, or planted by a protective wall im a rather favourable situa- 
tion. It has the habit of the Adamnus and the flowers of the common 
Jujube; but the fruit is smaller and sweeter, being only about as large as 
sloes, and containing rather large stones. The pulp is farinaceous, and, 
when separated from the stone, is laid up for winter use; its flavour is 
said to be like that of figs or dates. Bread is sometimes prepared from 
this fruit, and it is said to taste like gingerbread. ANTIQUUS. 
The Ancient Lotus.—Some confusion exists in the accounts of this fruit 
and plant; it has been represented as a large tree (Celtis australis), as a 
moderately-sized shrub (Rhamnus Lotus), and as an inconspicuous humble 
annual, as Lotus, Trifolium, or Melilotus, or some sort of fodder-plant or 
pulse. Yt has been confounded with the Nymphea Lotus of the Egyptians, 
and with the Sacred Bean of Oriental devotees (Nelumbium speciosum). 
The following examples are quoted, to show the multiplicity of meanings 
which have in different ages and countries been given to this term. 
1. The Greek Lotus, which grows wild in Greece and the adjoming op- 
posite coasts of Asia Minor, is a fodder-plant, and probably a species of 
Trefoil or Melilot. See Iliad and Odyssey, passim, sub voce, Index Hom. 
2. The African or Cyrenean Lotus, a tree or shrub bearing eatable fruit, 
and from which a nation or tribe was named Lotophagi (Lotus-eaters). 
See Herodotus, iv. 177; Hom. Od. ix. 84. The historian tells us that it 
was about the size of an olive, and tasted like the Date (hotvé). This 
