46 WATER-LILY FAMILY. 



5. JEFFERSbNIA, TWIN-LEAF. (Named for Thomas Jefferson.) 

 J. diphylla, sometimes called RHEUMATISM-BOOT. Wild in rich woods, 



W. & S., sunn-time-; cult.; tin- pretty white Hower and the leaves both long- 

 Stalked, from the ground, appearing in early spring 



6. PODOPHYLLUM, MA Y-AI'1'LK, or MANDRAKE. (Name means 

 foot-leaf, the 5 - 7-parted leaf likened to a webbed-foot.) 



P. pelt&tum. Wild in rich soil : the long running rootstocks (which are 



poisonous and medicinal) semi up in spring some .stout .-talks terminated hv A 

 targe, 7 - !i-lohed, regular, umbrella-shaped leaf (i. e. peltate in the middle), and 

 ?ome u Inch liear twu one-sided leaves (peltate near their inner edge), with a large 

 white tlower nodding- in the fork. The .-\veet pulpy fruit as large as a pullet's 

 egg, ripe in summer : rarely 2 or more to one flower. 



6. NYMPH^ACE^l, WATER-LILY FAMILY. 



Aquatic perenuial herbs, with the leaves which float on the 

 surface' of the water or rise above it mostly peltate or roundish- 

 he.-irt-.-huped, their margins inrolled in the but), long-petioled ; axil- 

 lary l-flo\vered peduncles; sepals and petals hardly ever 5, the 

 latter usually numerous and imbricated in many rows. The genera 

 differ so widely in their botanical characters that they must be 

 described separately. One of them is the famous Amazon Water- 

 Lily, VICTORIA HKGIA, with floating leaves 3 feet or more in diam- 

 eter, and the ma^uiliceiit flowers almost in proportion; while the 

 dull flowers of Water-shield are only half an inch long. 



1. BKASHNIA. Sepals and petals each 3 or 4, narrow, and much alike, dull pur- 



ple. Stamens 12 -18: filaments slender. Pistils 4 - 18, forming indehiscent 



1 - 3-seedcd pods. All the parts separate and persistent. Ovules commonly 

 on the dorsal suture! Hmbrvo, &c. a., in \Vater-Lilv. 



2. NELUMB1UM. Sepals ami petals many and passim: gradually into each other, 



deciduous. Stamens very many, on the receptacle, the up'per part of which 

 is enlarged into a top-shaped body, bearing a dozen or more ovaries, each 

 tipped with a Hat stigma and separately immersed in as many hollows. (Les- 

 sons,- p. 1 l-'l, fig. 3ti2.) In fruit these form 1-seeded nut-, resembling small 

 acorns. The whole kernel of the seed is embryo, a pair of Meshy and farina- 

 ceous cotyledons enclosing a plumule of 2 or a rudimentary green leaves. 



8. N\ Ml'lI.LA. Sepals 4, green ouiside. Petals numerous, many time-- 4, pass- 

 ing somewhat gradually into the numerous stamens (Lessons, p. !S4. fig. 228): 

 lioth organs grow attached to the globular many-celled ovary, the former 

 to its sides which they cover, the latter borne on its depressed summit. 

 Around a little knob at the top of the ovary the numerous stigmas radiate as 

 in a poppy-head, ending in long and narrow incurved lobes. Fruit like the 

 ovary enlarged, .-till covered by the decaying per-i-tent l>a-es uf the petals : 

 numerous seeds rover the partitions. Kipe seeds each in an arillus or bag 

 open at the top. (Lessons, p. 126, fig. 418.) Kmbryo, like that of Neluml.ium 

 on a very small scale, but enclosed in a bag, and at the end of the kernel, the 

 rest of which is mealy albumen. 



4. NUl'lIAR. Sepals usually li or 5, partly green outside. Petals many small 

 and thickish bodies inserted under the ovary along with the very numerous 

 short stamens. Ovary naked, truncate at the top, which is many-rayed by 

 stigmas, Heshy in fruit: the internal structure as in Nyniphuia, only there is 

 no arillus to the seed-. 



1. BRASENIA, WATKK-S1IIKLI). (Namo unexplained.) One species, 



B. pdt&ta. In still, rather deep water: stem- rising to the surface, slen- 

 der, coated with clear jelly, bearing floating oval centrally-peltate leaves (2' -3' 

 long), and purplish small (lowers, produced all summer. ' 



2. NELUMBIUM, XELUMBO. (Ccylonesc name.) Rootstocks inter- 

 rupted ami tuberous, sending up, usually out of water, very long petioles and 



