The lotus grows in muddy ponds and yet produces beautiful flowers, making it a sacred plant to Buddhists, who see it as a representation of what can be achieved from humble beginnings. The name, mentioned often in The Odyssey, was vaguely applied to a number of different plants famous in mythology, especially a tree whose fruit was fabled among the ancient Greeks to have the power to make people forget their country and friends and to remain idle.
From The Food Encyclopedia by Jacques Rolland and Carol Sherman
