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lotus
Any of several different plants whose flowers have been given symbolic meaning by many cultures. The lotus of the Greeks is Ziziphus lotus (family Rhamnaceae), a shrub native to southern Europe; wine made from its fruit was thought to produce contentment and forgetfulness. The Egyptian lotus is a white water lily (Nymphaea lotus). The sacred lotus of the Hindus is an aquatic plant (Nelumbo nucifera) with white or delicate pink flowers; the lotus of eastern North America is Nelumbo pentapetala, a similar plant with yellow blossoms. Lotus is also a genus of the pea family (see legume), containing about 100 species found in temperate regions of Europe, Asia, Africa, and North America; the 20 or more species in North America are grazed by animals. The lotus is a common ornament in architecture, and since ancient times it has symbolized fertility, purity, sexuality, birth, and rebirth of the dead.
In 1989, Lotus introduced Lotus Notes, the first major groupware product, which continues to be a strong contender in this arena. In 1990, it acquired Samna Corporation, developers of the popular, Windows-based Ami word processors. Lotus was acquired by IBM in 1995 and operates as one of its software brands, along with Rational, Tivoli and WebSphere.
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| Mitchell D. Kapor |
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| Mitch Kapor was the founder of Lotus and co-programmer of Lotus 1-2-3. The Lotus spreadsheet helped make the IBM PC an outstanding success within a few years of its introduction. Later, Kapor founded the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF). (Image courtesy of ON Technology, Inc.) |
lotus
Lotus
a genus of plants of the family Leguminosae. They are perennial and, less frequently, biennial and annual herbs or subshrubs. The leaves are odd-pinnate, with two pairs of lateral pinnae, from which emerge lower leaves that curve toward the base. The flowers are solitary or gathered in heads. The linear cylindrical pods contain many seeds. There are more than 100 species, distributed in Eurasia, Africa, and Australia. Approximately 20 species are found in the USSR, many of which are fodder plants. Bird’s-foot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus) forms thickets in wet meadows, as well as along forest edges, shrubbery, embankments, and roads. A valuable pasture plant (before flowering), it is also used as hay. The flowers contain insignificant amounts of a bitter and toxic glycoside; the plant is not toxic when it is in the form of hay or silage. Bird’s-foot trefoil yields nectar. A yellow dye for wool is obtained from its flowers. The species L. uliginosus, which grows in marshy meadows in the western European part of the USSR and in the Caucasus, contains no toxic substances. Both of these species are sometimes cultivated together with other grasses.
Lotus
a literary quarterly published since 1968 in Cairo by the Association of Writers of the Asian and African Countries, in English, Arabic, and French. For its first six issues it was called Afro-Asian Writings. The journal is directed by the secretary-general of the permanent bureau of the association, Yusuf al-Sibayi, and the editorial board consists of representatives of 12 countries, including the USSR (A. V. Sofronov). It publishes works by contemporary Afro-Asian writers, polemical and critical articles, and material on the history of literature and the arts in the Afro-Asian world. It promotes international friendship and understanding and supports the peoples of Asia and Africa in their struggle for national independence and social progress.
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