A lotus tree is a mythical plant. Although there is no compelling evidence that the lotus tree ever existed. it occurs in Homer’s Odyssey, The Nymph, and the Bible. There are no history books or books with compelling evidence that a lotus tree actually existed. If the myth of the lotus tree is true, the tree would be extinct today.

In the book The Odyssey, the lotus tree produced fruit that caused the one’s who ate it to become drowsy. People who ate the fruit of the lotus tree were known as the Lotophagi (lotus-eaters). The Lotophagi were a race of people who resided on an island near North Africa. This island was said to be dominated by “lotus” trees and plants. The lotus fruits were the primary food source fo the people of the island. This was all the Lotophagi fed off of. The fruits from the lotus were narcotic and addictive. Some of the lotus-eaters would feel drowsy for days after eating the fruit. In the book Nymph the lotus tree plays the role of Lotis who turns into a lotus tree.

The lotus tree, also mentioned in the Bible at Job 40:31-22, refers to a large hippopotamus. The passage states “He lies under the lotus trees, in a covert of reeds and marsh. The lotus trees cover him with their shade: The willows by the brook surround him.” It does not mention here that the lotus tree produced any fruits or flowers.

Some scholars have found the lotus having much in common with the opium poppy flower which was well known to the ancient Greeks. Although the lotus tree and its effects are said to be myth, Lotus is a genus. The Lotus genus includes bird’s-foot treefoils and deeruetches. These contain dozens of different species. Lotus species are used as food for the larvae of some lepidoptera. Some lepidoptera that feed of species of lotus are Coleophora, Monophagous, and poly phagous. It is not advised for people to feed off of these lotus plants because some can be dangerous and poisonous to humans, although the same standards do not apply to, for example, a lion.

Some plant species of lotus include Lotus alpinus, Lotus maculatus, Lotus benthamii, and Lotus corniculatus. There are over one hundred lotus plant species known to the human mind today. Whether these plants have anything in common with the lotus tree is a mystery, because the lotus tree and its characteristics are said to be myth.

For more information and detailed background of the lotus tree, lotus plants, history, and pictures please visit (www.wikipedia.com