Can Papyrus & Lotus Flowers Grow Together?

Lotus and papyrus are water plants that can coexist.

The papyrus plant, (Cyperus papyrus) and the Egyptian lotus, (Nymphaea caerulea) have co-existed for thousands of years. They might be combined in a water garden or used together as cut flowers. The two species do not have an allelopathic, or harmful, effect on each other.

Characteristics

The Nile lotus and papyrus are water plants. Papyrus sprouts from a thick rhizome in swamps and at the edges of bodies of water and can grow to 13 to 16 feet tall. Nile lotus grows in relatively slow-flowing, shallow water, with leaves that float on the surface.

Flowers

Nile lotus features light blue, multi-petaled flowers from 3 to 6 inches across. The petals are arranged in spiral fashion around the center. Papyrus flowers are less showy, growing atop the stalks in a terminal umbel or flattened arrangement of individual flower spikes.

History

In ancient Egypt, lotus was the symbol of Upper Egypt and papyrus the symbol of Lower Egypt. In art, the two were sometimes portrayed as intertwined to show the unity of the two areas.

References

• Ancient Egypt: The Mythology: Lotus
• Infonet-Biovision: Sedges
• Reshfim: Ancient Egyptian Raw Materials: Papyrus
• "Hortus Third"; Liberty Hyde Bailey, Ethel Zoe Bailey, et al.; 1976