Lotus Seed Pod
I thought you might enjoy this picture. It’s an abstract sort of image. This is a seed pod of an Indian lotus (Nelumbo nucifera). That and the other extant species, the American lotus (N. lutea) produce seeds in what is often described as resembling the spout of a watering can. These seeds are not fully ripe and are still tightly enclosed in the pod. As they age, they dry and shrink and become loose. Eventually, the pod comes apart and the seeds are released.
If anyone knows what the little yellowish lump on each seed is, I’d love to hear from you. It’s curious. I expect one little lump on a seed, where the shoot would come out, but these have two — the central, red knob and then off center, the yellowish one. Interestingly, the yellow bump is always on the side of the seed closest to the edge of the seed pod, except for in the central seed, where it seems randomly placed.
