The Piston
This is the piston / syringe that is used to pump liquid into stem of the lotus leaves. A friend of mine, from Japan, who is also an Ikebana Teacher of the Sogetsu School sent me this picture. She tells me that we can buy it through the Sogetsu School store.
Comments
I hope that the picture helps you!
Lotus flowers and Water lilies are not easy materials for keeping water. Plants usually absorb water by themselves if the stems of the end are in the water.
But Lotus and so on can not do that. So you have to push water ( or liquid obtained by soaking tobacco in water) into the stem compulsory by an appliance like a water pistol, and immediately hold the endstem by your finger not to leak. For a Lotus leaf, it is better to do that by two people, one person handle the appliance and the other hold the center of the leaf (the way out of water) with ones finger. However Lotus flowers can not keep water for a long time, maybe for 3-4 hours, leaves will survive much more longer.
Is it clear ?
Good luck!
Please excuse me if you found mistakes in my writing. I am not so good at English.