Nelumbium. POLYANDRIA POLYGYNIA, . 649 
most beautiful, white, slightly incuryed, pearl-coloured 
club. Receptacle sub-conical, from the apex from ten 
to thirty cells. Germs one in each cell of the receptacle, 
attached at the base, oblong, one-celled; ovula single, 
attached to a swelling at the top of the cell. Style scarcely 
any. Stigmas fleshy, sub-infundibuliform. Seeds gener- 
ally as many as there were germs, oval, reniform. Inte: 
guments two; the exterior one spongy and spreading into 
lamina. Perisperm none. Embryo inverse. Cotyledons 
(vitellus) of Geertner two, equal, white, united at the apex 
to the corol, and in some degree to each other round that 
organ. Plumula of two meq fal sub-opposite, long-peti- 
oled, orbicular, péltate leaves; between them and the apex 
or point of union with the cotyledons is a short column, 
which as in Anneslea, I will call the peduncle. When 
vegetation begins, this, as well as the leaves of the plu- 
mula, and their folded petioles swell and lengthen and 
soon force a passage through the base of the seed, &c. as 
very accurately represented by Geertner, 1. p. 73. 4. ¢.19. 
By the time the two leaves of the plumula are expand- 
ed, the proper roots begin to appear, issuing from the base 
of their petioles, where they unite with the peduncle, 
Ih China, there | is a still more beautiful bright crimson 
variety, which they call Hu Pcl I haye hitherto only 
seen a drawing of Mei oT ~ cue eae ais 
The white Nelumbium differs i in pe espects trie. the 
red one, and. may be considered as onlya variety of i it. The 
difference i is as follows. Ist. In the white one the flowers 
are milk-white, in the red one rose-coloured. 2nd. In the 
, White one the number of germs (consequently seeds) are 
from eight to twenty, in the red one from ten to thirty, 
The seeds of both come eanally well to maturity and are 
“The needa are e.eaten = sage ee 
Ddad 
