MYSTIC PLANTS. 413 



thickest reed, and cellular, like the stem ; and those 

 who live about the marshes eat it as food, either raw, 

 boiled, or roasted. These plants are produced spon- 

 taneously, but they are- cultivated in beds," &c. 



This plant has a sacred character amongst the 

 Hindoos, and also in China and Ceylon. It was at 

 one time plentiful in Egypt, whence it has now 

 totally vanished. The representations given of it 

 upon the monuments of ancient Egypt are far less 

 common than those of the Nymphcea, equally with 

 which it is to be found on the monuments of India. It 

 serves for the floating shell of Vishnu and the seat 

 of Brahma. Sir W. Jones writes of it, that " the 

 Thibetans embellish their temples and altars with it ; 

 and a native of Nepal made prostration before it on 

 entering my study, where the fine plant and beautiful 

 flowers lay for examination." Thunberg affirms that 

 the Japanese regard the plant as pleasing to the 

 gods, the images of their idols being often represented 

 sitting on its large leaves. In China the Shing-moo, 

 or holy mother, is generally represented with a 

 flower of it in her hand, and few temples are without 

 some representation of the plant. Undoubtedly two 

 plants are sculptured on the monuments and paintings 

 in India, but they are easily distinguished from each 

 other by their form. The one is a lotus, or Nymph<za, 

 and the other is the Nelumbium. The former is 

 dedicated to Soma, the latter to Lakshmi, the Indian 



