PITCHER-PLANT FAMILY. 47 



peduncles, bearing very large (l-2 wide) and more or less dish-shaped or 

 cup-shaped centrally-peltate entire leaves, and great flowers (5' -10' broad), 

 in summer. Seeds, also the tubers, eatable. 



N. luteum, YELLOW N. or WATER CHINQUEPIN. Common W. & S. : 

 introduced, by Indians perhaps, at Sodus Bay, N. Y., Lyme, Conn., and below 

 Philadelphia. Flower pale dull yellow : anther hook-tipped. 



N. speeiosum, SHOWY N., LOTUS or SACRED BEAN of India, with 

 pinkish flowers and blunter anthers : cult, in choice conservatories. 



3. NYMPELSJA, WATER-LILY, POND-LILY. (Dedicated to the 

 Water- Nymphs.) Long prostrate rootstocks, often as thick as one's arm, 

 send up floating leaves (rounded and with a narrow cleft nearly or quite to 

 the petiole) and large handsome flowers, produced all summer: these close in 

 the afternoon : the fruit ripens under water. 



N. odorata, SWEET-SCENTED WHITE W. Common in still or slow 

 water, especially E. Flower richly sweet-scented, white, or sometimes pinkish, 

 rarely pink-red, variable in size, as are the leaves ; seeds oblong. 



N. tuberbsa, TUBER-BEARING W. Common through the Great Lakes, 

 and W. & S. Flower nearly scentless (its faint odor like that of apples), 

 pure white, usually larger (4' -9' in diameter), as are also the leaves (8' -15' 

 wide); petals broader and blunter; seeds almost globular; rootstock bearing 

 copious tubers like " artichokes," attached by a narrow neck and spontaneously 

 separating. 



N. C8Brulea, BLUE W., of Egypt, &c., cult, in aquaria ; a tender species, 

 with eremite-toothed leaves, and blue or bluish sweet-scented flowers, the petals 

 fewer and acute. 



4. NTJPHAR, YELLOW POND-LILY, or SPATTER-DOCK. (Old 

 Greek name. ) Rootstock, &c. as in Nympluea : leaves often rising out of 

 water : flowers by no means showy, yellow, sometimes purplish-tinged, pro- 

 duced all summer : fruit ripening above water. 



N. advena is the common species, everywhere ; has 6 unequal sepals or 

 sometimes more ; petals, or what answer to them, truncate, shorter than the 

 stamens and resembling them ; the thickish leaves rounded or ovate-oblong. 



N. luteum, rare N. ; has smaller flowers, with 5 sepals, petals dilated 

 upwards and more conspicuous, and a globular fruit with a narrow neck : 

 the var. pumilum, a small variety, has flowers only 1', and leaves l'-5' in 

 diameter ; rather common N. 



N. sagittiiblia, ARROW-LEAVED N., from North Carolina S. ; has sagit- 

 tate leaves (1 by 2'), and 6 sepals. This and the last produce their earlier 

 leaves under water and very thin. 



7. SARRACENIACE^l, PITCHER-PLANT FAMILY. 



Consists of one South American plant, of the curious DARLING- 

 TONIA CALIFORNICA in the mountains of California, and of the 

 following : 



1. SARRACENIA. (Named for Dr. Sarrasin of Quebec.) SIDESADDLB- 

 FLOWER, a most unmeaning popular name. Leaves all radical from a per- 

 ennial root, and in the form of hollow tubes or pitchers, winged down the 

 inner side, open at the top, where there is a sort of arching blade or hood. 

 The whole foliage yellowish green or purplish. Scape tall, naked, bearing a 

 single large nodding flower, in early summer. Sepals 5, with 3 bractlets at 

 the base, colored, persistent. Petals 5, fiddle-shaped, incurved over the pel- 

 tate and umbrella-shaped 5-angled petal-like great top to the style. Stamens 

 very numerous. Ovary 5-celled. Pod many-seeded, rough-warty. 



S. purpurea, PURPLE S. or PITCHER-PLANT of the North, where it is 

 common in bogs. Leaves pitcher-shaped, open, with an erect round-heart- 

 shaped hood and a broad side-wing, purple-veiny ; flower deep purple. 



