These seeds were collected from Nelumbo lutea, also known as American Lotus. This aquatic plant likes to live in full sun where its yellow blossoms are out from the middle of the summer until early fall where they attract a wide variety of birds, bees, and butterflies. The roots, leaves, and young stems can be cooked and eaten as vegetables. The seeds can be eaten raw or cooked, and they are also ground up and used as flour or as a thickening agent. While this plant was once grown as a food plant by the native Americans, it is now an endangered species. This plant is a larval host plant for the American lotus borer moth. USDA Hardiness Zones 4 to 10.