PlantFiles: American Lotus
Nelumbo lutea

Growing lotus for the first time in an old pond (quite small) I figure I can offset the invasive factor by collecting seeds and pulling some and eating the root...if it takes off at all:0)

The seed is edible. When it's still green, you can pick it out of the pod and eat it raw - very sweet and fresh. If the seed pod has dried, pick the seeds out, split in half, soak and boil. In Asia, it is added to desserts and soups. It has a dry, nutty texture.

The roots are also edible. Slice and stir fry, or slice very thinly with a mandolin, dip in batter and fry as tempura. Crispy, sweet and absolutely delicious!

Don't treat it as a weed - eat it!

Native plants become invasive when competitor plants are destroyed or not present where they are planted. This happens especially with decorative flowering species that are grown without native rushes, etc.

That said, we have a tiny neglected pond that desperately needs something to use up excess nutrients so we're taking the plunge with 4 seeds. If they survive we will try to get all the pods off before they spread.

Isn't the notion of an invasive native an oxymoron? If not, I can think of a half-dozen natives that ought to be targets for the weedkillers, including the beloved southern live oak.

The scent alone is well worth growing this for! They are a pretty yellow here and just gorgeous. They do get rather tall, but if they are in a pond they work beautifully. Beware though, the fishies love to eat the emerging baby roots!

I am in zone 5/6 near Kansas City....The Mo. Dept of Conservation does consider this plant very invasive, and does not encourage its planting. You should find a person that wants to use their pond in the same way that you want to use yours...and see if they recommend it. Lotus will spread quickly to ALL parts of your pond that are less than 6 feet deep, and then will reach out each year another 10 to 20 feet. The leaves and blooms are really beautiful, but the stems have small prickly stickers all over them. That makes getting in the pond, even in a boat, very uninviting.
So, plant only if you are not going to use your pond for recreation, even fishing. You will find it VERY difficult to get rid of them once they are established...one year! You will have to spray repeatly with chemicals that are very bad for your pond's ecosystem. OR you can manually cut off every leaf that comes up...wear sturdy, heavy gloves.
Not good for a garden pond as it does not bloom in normal 16 or 24 inch lotus pots. It also escapes it's pot regularly to invade your pond. I understand that it will bloom in a 48 inch pot....but you can't get that size out of your garden pond to tend it, so I have not tried it. Best used in a 5 to 10 foot stock tank sunk into the ground.

AMerican lotus leaves emerge in the early summer, some warmer places they will emerge in late spring and become suspended about 2-3 feet above the water. They bloom in summer and only hold the flowers for a short time. The seeds are produced in a lare distinctive fleshy receptacle which is yellow as the flower opens, then turns grees and later, dark brown. american lotus leaves, unlike other waterlillies, does not have a split or notched leaf.

Progation is simple. Take the hard seeds from the seed head when the pod turns brown and poke a hole in the seed and toss in water. The water the lotus prefers is still water that is not deeper that 6 feet. 4 feet deep is preferred. Wonderful plant that can be very difficult to control when it becomes established so be sure you want lotus before you throw seed. The flower is fabulous and worth seeding in non fishing lakes and ponds. Don't put in public waters. I have spent 5 years trying to control plants started by seed by a well meaning citizen. This was a park lake that was used for fishing.