Dunhuang murals belong to the World Cultural Heritage, with different aesthetic characteristics and artistic styles from secular paintings, plant patterns as an extremely important form of artistic expression has always run through it, the murals are rich in flowers and trees, lush forests and grasses, and rich in species connotations.
Plant in Dunhuang murals - water lilies
Photo by Li Guangmin
Nymphaea tetragona is a perennial floating-leaf aquatic herb with thick rhizomes, erect or creeping. Leaf type II, floating water leaves floating on the surface of the water, submerged leaves immersed in water, leaf thin, weak. The flowers are solitary, floating or standing watery. The fruit is mostly a berry, ripe in water and irregularly cracked. The seeds are hard, dark green or dark brown, gelatinously wrapped with false seed coat. The flowering period is from July to October, day and night, and the fruiting period is from August to October.
Water lilies have been regarded as holy, beautiful incarnations since ancient times and are often used as offerings to goddesses. In addition to its high ornamental value, water lilies can also be made of cut flowers or dried flowers. At the same time, the ecological function is remarkable, its roots can absorb lead, mercury, phenol and other toxic substances in the water, is a rare collection of water purification, green landscaping, environmental beautification of one of the composite plants.
Water lilies in frescoes
(Source: China Wildlife Conservation Association Public Account Editor Wang Qiang)