The "flat bottomed pot" that can carry cute babies will automatically drain and have a strong fragrance. The ability to float on the water has matured | leaves | strong fragrance
Recently, green "flat bottomed pots" floating on the water have become popular "internet celebrities" in many parks in Shanghai.
This kind of "flat bottomed pot" is Wang Lian. Recently, Wang Lian from parks such as Chenshan Botanical Garden, Shanghai Botanical Garden, Binjiang Forest Park, Guyi Garden, and Yangpu Park have all bloomed and their leaves have matured.
Wang Lian, commonly known as Da Wang Lian, is a general term for the genus Wang Lian in the water lily family. It is a perennial or annual large floating leaf herbaceous plant with upright rhizomes and well-developed adventitious roots, suitable for growth and development in high temperature, high humidity, and sunny environments.
Wang Lian has the largest leaves among aquatic plants in the world, especially the Cruze Wang Lian introduced by Shanghai Chenshan Botanical Garden. Its origin is Paraguay and Argentina, and the leaves are circular with a diameter of 2-3 meters. The large leaves can occupy more than 7 square meters of water surface.
The aquatic plant manager of Chenshan Botanical Garden stated that currently, more than 200 Wanglian plants in the park grow rapidly, with the largest leaf diameter reaching 1.6 meters and continuing to grow, expected to reach over 1.8 meters.
Not only does Wang Lian have a novel and unique design, but its leaves are also known as "Hercules". Some of its large leaves carry a load of 60-70 kilograms but still do not sink, leaving other aquatic plants out of reach. Since 2011, Chenshan Botanical Garden has held the "Hundred Changes and Cute Children Sitting on the King Lotus" activity, and the quota is often "flash sold".
The outstanding load-bearing capacity mainly depends on the special structure of the blades. On the back of the leaves of Wanglian, there are thick radial veins that form the main load-bearing skeleton. The skeleton is connected by sickle shaped transverse septa to form small grids, which are also connected by cross veins. This structure ensures that the leaves are evenly stressed and not easily broken. At the same time, there are many air chambers inside the leaves of Wanglian, which are filled with air, further increasing the buoyancy and load-bearing capacity of the leaves.
In addition, the leaves of Wanglian have strong drainage capacity. This circular "flood wall" has two inverted triangular notches. Even in heavy rain, the accumulated rainwater inside the "flood wall" will leak out without passing through the notches, and it will not cause problems such as leaf decay or moss growth due to accumulated water.
The unique structure of Wang Lian's leaves has been imitated by humans, and a classic example is the roof structure of the exhibition hall at the International Industrial Fair held in London, England in 1851.
British horticulturist Paxton was suddenly inspired while playing with his daughter on a lotus, and used steel pipes to mimic the leaf vein structure. Together with glass, he built a beautiful, simple, and sturdy circular roof, becoming a beautiful talk in the history of bionics.
Although Wang Lian is a powerhouse in the plant kingdom, its actual strength cannot be compared to that of architecture. Experts remind us not to blindly trust the load-bearing capacity of natural Wang Lian.
In general, for safety reasons, it is best to apply a weight of no more than 30 kilograms to the leaves of the Wang Lian. When riding on the Wang Lian, a lightweight cushion plate should be placed to disperse pressure and balance the force range of the blades. Otherwise, if too much force is applied at a certain point, the leaves will be stepped on and water will leak, and the ship will soon sink.
At the Chenshan Botanical Garden, participants in the "Hundred Changes and Cute Children Sitting in the King Lotus" activity are limited to a weight of less than 20 kilograms.
In addition to its unique design and strong load-bearing capacity, Wang Lian is also famous for its diverse flower colors and strong floral fragrance.
The flowering period of Wanglian is in summer or autumn, with single and large flowers that bloom day and night. It only blooms for 3 days and has a variety of colors.
On the first day, the flowers usually bloom in the afternoon and fully bloom in the evening. At this time, the flowers are pure white with a faint fragrance. The next day, at dawn, the flowers began to close and bloomed again in the evening. At this time, the flowers were pink to deep red or purplish red in color. On the third day, the flowers closed and sank into the water, beginning to bear fruit.
