Deep pink, deeply cupped flower of the Qinglinghonlian lotus, held in the hand in front of large leaves

Lotus Qinglinghonlian (青菱红莲)

Name: Lotus Qinglinghonlian (青菱红莲)
Brand: Latour-Marliac
SKU: LOTD00229
Price: 45.0 EUR
Availability: InStock

45,00 €

This tall Chinese lotus keeps its flower in a deep cup shape, in a very intense pink that verges on red. The plant reaches 1.20 to 1.50 m above the water and is planted under 30 cm of water, in full sun.

The rhizome is shipped from 1 April to 15 June, dormant and before the leaves emerge. An order placed outside this period is shipped when the following season opens.

Ref. LOTD00229·Lotus

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The summary

The shape: a deep cup, almost a dome, that does not open out flat.
The colour: a very deep pink verging on red, across 15 to 20 cm.
The size: 1.20 to 1.50 m tall, leaves of 50 to 60 cm, 30 cm of water.
Winter: at the bottom of the pond, out of reach of the ice, or in a frost-free bucket.

Large Chinese lotus with a cup-shaped flower, a very deep pink

The Qinglinghonlian lotus is a large Chinese lotus whose single flower, 15 to 20 cm across, stays in a deep cup shape instead of opening flat. Its very deep pink verges on red. The plant reaches 1.20 to 1.50 m above the water and is planted under 30 cm of water, in full sun.

Qinglinghonlian, 青菱红莲 in Chinese, is a large lotus bred in China and supplied as a bare rhizome. Its single flower stays in a deep cup shape, almost domed, instead of opening flat, and its colour is a very deep pink verging on red. The plant reaches 1.20 to 1.50 m above the water, with leaves 50 to 60 cm across.

🏺 A cup-shaped flower

The petals stay upright throughout the life of the flower, so their edges remain close together over a diameter of 15 to 20 cm. The centre is therefore not visible from the side, and this quirk matters when choosing where to put the container: you will see the inside of the cup only by looking at the flower from a point higher than it. Flowering runs from June to August on a plant established in full sun.

Side view

You see a closed dome and the colour of its outer petals.

View from above

The inside of the cup and the heart can be seen from a point higher than the flower.

Where to place it

Place it near a coping stone or a patio that overlooks the pond.

A flat ledge to stand the tub on

If you are digging a pond for this lotus, plan for a wide, flat shelf, positioned so that the soil in the container sits 30 cm below the water surface. This settles both the water depth and the stability of the whole arrangement in one go, since the container filled with wet soil will not move for the rest of the season. A flexible EPDM pond liner follows this shelf just like the rest of the base, and a protective underlay laid beneath prevents a stone in the ground from marking it under the weight of the container.

🍷 A pink that leans towards red

The colour falls among the deep pinks, dark enough to lean towards red, and it covers most of the petal. On a cup-shaped flower, it is the outer face of the petals that you see most often from the edge, and so it is this that gives the pond its colour. Placed next to a yellow water lily such as the hardy water lily Gold Medal, this dark pink creates a sharp contrast on the same stretch of water, and you thus create a two-colour pond with two plants of the same hardiness.

Plant the rhizome in a solid-sided container

Planted directly in the sludge of a shallow pond, a lotus rhizome advances year after year and ends up taking over the whole bottom. In a full pot, it stays where you installed it and can be lifted out for dividing. So never let it grow free in the soil, even if the pond seems large enough.

🗓️ The first season

For the first season, a round 20-litre pot is enough, filled with at least 15 cm of clay soil and placed under 30 cm of water. The rhizome is laid flat on the soil and held in place with a stone, so that it stays in contact with it when the pot is filled with water. As a plant of this size quickly fills the volume, plan afterwards either to divide it every year in March, or to move the whole root ball into a much wider round tub, of around 150 litres.

After filling, the rhizome stays dormant until the water has reached 20 °C. The first leaves then emerge flat on the surface, followed by the upright leaves on their stalks, and the buds form once these aerial leaves are established. So judge the first season by the vigour of the foliage, which builds up the rhizome's reserves for the following years, rather than by the number of flowers. In autumn, the foliage dies back completely, and the rhizome, as frost-hardy as a hardy water lily, spends the winter in its soil, under the water.

🌡️ The water it needs

This lotus begins to grow above 20 °C, flowers at around 25 °C and thrives between 18 and 30 °C; below 15 °C, it stays dormant, and prolonged heat above 32 °C harms it. Its ideal pH is between 6.5 and 7.5. These figures explain why a rhizome planted in April often waits until the water reaches a steady 18 to 20 °C before starting, and they tell you what to check if the foliage turns pale: iron and pH, before adding any fertiliser. A drop-type pH test is enough for this check.

In an aquaponics system, this pH range overlaps with the one you are already aiming for, so the lotus settles in without any particular adjustment, in a tank or a mesh basket that protects its rhizome from the fish. Its roots take up part of the nitrates and phosphates coming from the fish waste, especially from April to August, and an adult plant can cover up to 1 m² of surface. The system water already supplies the nitrogen, which means no fertiliser tablets are needed in this tank. The guide on growing lotus in aquaponics sets out the varieties suited to each volume.

Technical specifications

The plant

Height above water: 1.20 to 1.50 m
Leaf: 50 to 60 cm in diameter
Flower: Single, 15 to 20 cm
Shape: Deep, dome-shaped cupThe centre is visible from a point higher than the flower.
Colour: Deep pink, tending towards red
Water depth: 30 cm above the soil

To budget for separately

Container: Round 20 L pot, then a wide container
Soil: Clay soil, covered with gravel
Fertilizer: Pellets for aquatic plants
Location: Full sun, near a raised edge

2 further specifications are available in the detailed view.

In the box

1 Qinglinghonlian lotus rhizome, dormant, in damp paper

Producer's data sheet from Latour-Marliac (ref. LOTD00229) and the same producer's lotus growing guide, consulted on 11/10/2026.

Manufacturer and product safety

Manufacturer: SARL Latour-Marliac (SIREN 499473601)
Postal address: 68 route de Péchavis, 47110 Le Temple-sur-Lot, France
Contact: contact@latour-marliac.com ; +33 5 53 01 08 05
Website: shop.latour-marliac.com

Information provided under Regulation (EU) 2023/988 on general product safety.

Estimate your
delivery time

The rhizome is shipped from 1 April to 15 June, in a separate parcel, wrapped in damp paper. An order placed outside this period is shipped when the following season opens. The exact amount is calculated at checkout. Plant or living organism: this product is excluded from the right of withdrawal (article L221-28, 4° of the French Consumer Code), as it deteriorates quickly.

Frequently asked questions

8 questions

6 key questions, 8 in the detailed view

How much space does a mature plant take up?

How do you fertilise through the surface gravel?

How much water depth above the pot?

Why a round pot rather than a square one?

How do you divide it without damaging it?

How do I get it through the winter?

Should the soil be covered with gravel?

Is it suitable for a sturgeon pond?

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Lotus Qinglinghonlian (青菱红莲)

The summary