Snow Lotus of Tianshan

Snow Lotus of Tianshan

　　Xinjiang Snow Lotus, also known as Snow Lotus Flower, mainly grows on the steep cliffs of the arid glacial debris zones near the snow line of the northern and southern slopes of the Tianshan Mountains, the Altai Mountains, and the Kunlun Mountains.　　

　　　The Snow Lotus is a famous specialty of Xinjiang. As early as the Qing Dynasty, Zhao Xuemin’s *Supplement to Compendium of Materia Medica* recorded: "In the coldest lands where snow accumulates and does not melt in spring or summer, there is grass among the snow, resembling a single-stemmed lotus flower, gracefully standing in the snow" and "There is the Tianshan Mountain in that region, where snow lies in both winter and summer, and within the snow there is a lotus—those at the peak of Tianshan are considered the finest." Regarding the morphology and habitat of the Snow Lotus, Jia Shumou described in his 1936 work *Xinjiang Miscellaneous Records*: "The Snow Lotus is an herbaceous plant of the Asteraceae family... growing deep in the snow mountains, produced in the mountains of Baicheng and Hami."

　　　The Snow Lotus has been used in medicine for hundreds of years. The Han people often regard it as a precious remedy for rheumatism and arthritis, while the Uyghur and Kazakh peoples consider it an excellent medicine for gynecological conditions.

　　　There are many varieties of Snow Lotus, such as Jellyfish Snow Lotus, Hairy-head Snow Lotus, Downy Snow Lotus, and Tibetan Snow Lotus. Xinjiang Snow Lotus is regarded as the genuine variety in *Supplement to Compendium of Materia Medica*. Those produced around the Bogda Peak near Tianchi (Heavenly Lake) are considered the highest quality and are shrouded in mystery. In the past, when highland herders encountered Snow Lotus during their travels, it was seen as an auspicious sign and treated as a sacred object. Legend has it that these lotus flowers in the snow were scattered by fairies while the Queen Mother of the West bathed in Tianchi, and the snow-capped peak over 5,000 meters across from it serves as a beautiful mirror. The Snow Lotus is regarded as a divine object. It is believed that drinking the dewdrops from its bracts can ward off evil, cure diseases, and prolong life.

　　　Snow Lotus seeds germinate at zero degrees Celsius, grow at three to five degrees Celsius, and the seedlings can withstand the severe cold of minus twenty-one degrees Celsius. In an environment with a growth period of less than two months, its height can exceed that of other plants by five to seven times. Although it takes five years to bloom, its actual growing period is only eight months. This is quite unique in biology.

　　　The Snow Lotus has a delicate and striking form, perhaps crystallized from the complex climate of frequent winds and changing weather. With its black roots, green leaves, white bracts, and red flowers, it resembles the mythical White Lady in her red helmet, white armor, green gauntlets, and black boots, standing firmly on ice peaks and cliffs amid fierce storms and snow, forming a breathtaking scene like “Snow Engulfs the Golden Mountain Temple.”