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Handbook of Nature-Study 



its strength and flexibility are gained by having at its center four hollow 

 tubular channels, and smaller channels near the outside. These tubes 

 extend the whole length of the stem, making it light so that it will float, 

 and at the same time giving it strength as well as flexibility. At the 

 upper end of the stem is a leaf or flower, which is fashioned as a boat. 

 The circular leaf is leathery and often bronze-red below, with prominent 

 veins, making an excellent bottom to the boat; above, it is green with a 

 polished surface, and here are situated its breathing-pores, although the 

 leaves of most plants have these stomata in the lower surface. But how 

 could the water lily leaf breathe, if its stomata opened in the water? The 

 leaf is large, circular and quite heavy ; it would require a very strong, stiff 

 stem to hold it aloft, but by its form and structure it is fitted to float upon 

 the water, a little green dory, varnished inside, and waterproof outside. 

 The bud is a little, egg-shaped buoy protected by its four pinkish 

 brown, leathery sepals; as it opens, we can see four rows of petals, each 

 overlapping the space between the next inner ones; at the center there is 

 a fine display of brilliant yellow anthers. Those hanging over the green- 

 ish yellow pit, which has the stigma at its center, are merely golden hooks. 



When the flower is quite open, the 

 four sepals, each a canoe in form, lie 

 under the lily and float it; although 

 the sepals are brownish outside, they 

 are soft white on the inside next the 

 flower. Between each two sepals 

 stands a large petal, also canoe-shaped, 

 and perhaps pinkish on the outside; 

 these help the sepals in floating the 

 flower. Inside of these there is a row 

 of large creamy white petals which 

 stand upright; the succeeding rows of 

 petals are smaller toward the center 

 and grade into the outer rows of 

 stamens, which are petallike at the 

 base and pointed at the tip. The 

 inner rows of stamens make a fine 



golden fringe around the cup-shaped pistil. This flower is of great use in 

 teaching that sepals, petals and stamens have the same origin and grade 

 into each other, showing the intermediate stages. 



It has been stated that pond lilies, in the state of nature, have an 

 int resting way of opening in the early morning, closing at noon and 

 opening again toward evening. If we knew better the habits of the 

 insects which pollenate these flowers, we should possibly have the key to 

 this action. In our ponds in parks and grounds we find that each species 

 of pond lily opens and closes at its own particular time each day. Each 

 flower opens usually for several consecutive days, and the first day of its 

 blooming it opens about an hour later and closes an hour earlier than on 

 the days following. After the lilies have blossomed, the flower stem coils 

 in a spiral and brings the ripening seeds below the surface of the water. 

 The reason for this has not yet been discovered. After about two months 

 the pod bursts letting the seeds out in the water. Each seed is in a little 

 bag, which the botanists call an aril, and which serves as a life preserver 

 floating the seed off for some distance from the parent plant. The aril 



Egyptian lotus floiver and seed-vessel. 



