LOTUS, or BIRD'S-FOOT TREFOIL, in botany: A genus of the decandria order, belonging to the diadelphia class of plants; and in the natural method ranking under the 32d order, Papilionaceæ. The legumen is cylindrical, and very erect; the ale closing upwards longitudinally; the calyx is tubulated. There are many species, but only five or six are usually cultivated in our gardens. 1. The tetragonolobus, or winged pea, hath trailing, slender, branchy stalks, about a foot long, garnished with trifoliolate oval leaves; and, from the axillas of the branches, large, papilionaceous red flowers, one on each footstalk; succeeded by tetragonus solitary pods, having a membranous wing or lobe, running longitudinally at each corner. It flowers in June and July, and the seeds ripen in autumn. 2. The creticus, or Cretan silvery lotus, hath a slender under shrubby stalk, rising by support three or four feet high, ornamented with trifoliolate, bright, silvery leaves; and branches terminated by several yellow flowers succeeded by subternate pods. 3. The Jacobæus, or lotus of St James's island, hath upright herbaceous stalks branching two or three feet high, and, from the upper part of the branches, long slender footstalks, terminated each by three or five yellowish purple flowers, appearing most part of the summer and autumn, and succeeded by subternate pods filled with plenty of seeds. 4. The hirsutus, or hairy Italian lotus, hath upright hairy stalks branching a yard high; and terminated by heads of whitish hoary-cupped flowers appearing in June, which are succeeded by oval pods full of seed, which ripens in autumn. 5. The doreynium, white Austrian lotus, or shrub-trefoil of Montpellier, has under shrubby smooth stalks, branching three or four feet high, and the branches terminated by aphyllous heads of small white flowers appearing in June, succeeded by short pods. 6. The edulis, sends forth several trailing stalks about a foot long, furnished at their joints with trifoliolate, roundish, smooth leaves, having oval stipule. The flowers come singly from the sides of the stalks, on long peduncles, with three oval floral leaves, the length of the flower: the latter is small, yellow; and is succeeded by a thick arched pod, having a deep furrow on its outside.
Culture, &c. The first species is a hardy annual, and is easily raised from seed sown any time from the month of February to May; the plants requiring no other culture than to be kept free from weeds. It was formerly cultivated as an esculent; for its young green feed-pods may be dressed and eat like peas, or in the manner of kidney-beans. The other species may be propagated either by seeds or cuttings, but require to be kept in pots in the green-house during the winter-season. — The sixth species is an annual, and a native of several parts of Italy, where the inhabitants eat the young pods as we do kidney beans. The green pods of the first species were formerly gathered in this country, and dressed in the manner of kidney beans, and are used
so still in some of the northern counties of England; but they are coarse, and not very agreeable to such as have been accustomed to feed upon better fare.
Lotus of Homer. See DIOSPYROS.
Egyptian Lotus. See NYMPHÆA.
Libyan Lotus. See RHAMNUS.