Although the self-cleaning phenomenon of the lotus was possibly known in Asia long before (reference to the lotus effect is found in the Bhagavad Gita), its mechanism was explained only in the early 1970s after the introduction of the scanning electron microscope. Studies were performed with leaves of Tropaeolum and lotus (Nelumbo).. Similar to lotus effect, a recent study has revealed honeycomb-like micro-structures on the taro leaf, which makes the leaf superhydrophobic. The measured contact angle on this leaf in this study is around 148 degrees.