Thousand-year-old lotus in Zhejiang about to bloom

(ECNS) --A thousand-year-old lotus germinated from the seeds that have been excavated from the Song Dynasty (960-1279) strata of Qinhuai River in Nanjing and treasured by the Lishui Museum of Zhejiang is going to bloom for the first time.

Wu Donghai, an expert from Lishui Museum, said, "It is rare for an ancient lotus to blossom. It is the first time that it will bloom this year.

The small lotus bud, about the size of a human's little finger, keeps the most primitive genes inside. The precious flower bud germinated from a seed about 1,000 years old.

The ancient lotus can also be cross-fertilized with modern lotus breeds to produce new ones. Therefore, it has very high research value."