甜石莲和苦石莲外形相似,容易混淆。现将二者的鉴别特征介绍如下。甜石莲:为睡莲科植物莲(Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn.)的干燥成熟果实。呈卵圆形或椭圆形,两端略尖,长1.5～2cm,直径0.8～1.4cm。表面呈灰棕色或灰黑色,被白色粉霜,除去粉霜后,略具光泽,可见密生的浅棕色小点。顶端有小圆孔,基部有短果柄,果柄旁有圆形棕色小突起。质地坚硬而不易破开。果皮(壳)厚约1mm,内表面呈红棕色,内有种子一颗,即“莲肉”。莲肉内有绿色莲子 Sweet lilly and bitter lotus are similar in appearance and are easily confused. The identification features of the two are introduced as follows. Sweet lilly: A dry mature fruit of Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn. It is oval or elliptic, slightly pointed at both ends, 1.5 to 2 cm long and 0.8 to 1.4 cm in diameter. The surface is gray-brown or gray-black, and it is covered with a white powder. After removing the cream, it has a slight brilliance and a dense, light brown dot. There is a small round hole at the top, a short pedicel at the base, and round brown bulges around the handle. The texture is hard and not easily broken. The pericarp (shell) is about 1mm thick and has a reddish-brown inner surface. There is one seed inside, namely “Lotus”. Lotus seeds have green lotus seeds