1 64 



THE WATERLILIES. 



N. planchonii, Caspary MS. (flower) in hb. Berlin. This specimen bears several marks: (l) coll. 

 " Poeppig, No. 3033, 1832, Colufer Amazon, Nymphaea hepatica"; (2) "No. 10 Nym- 

 phaea [obtusiloba striken out] tussilagifolia Lehm." in Lehmann's handwriting; (3) "Nym- 

 phaea (flore partim rubro, partim flavo). In lacu chalcensi prope Yotla (sit. Mexico), 

 14 Mayi, G. Andrieux, Plant. Mex. exsicc. No. 541." The leaf is of A T . rudgeana, the 

 flower is of N. mexicana. No. 541 of Andrieux in hb. Paris is N. mexicana. 



DESCRIPTION. Flowers floating, or raised 5 to 12 cm. above the water when in 

 shallow places, 7 to 10 cm. in diameter, open from n a. m. to 4 p. m., with faint odor 

 of a tea-rose or odorless. Peduncle terete, 3 to 6 mm. in diameter, 16 to 150 cm. long. 

 Receptacle four-sided, the corners broadly rounded and prominent, the sides slightly 

 grooved ; two of the corner-ridges are larger than the alternate two. Sepals 4, elliptic 

 to lance-ovate, obtuse, length : width = 4.5 cm. : 1.3 cm. ; outer surface green with pale 

 brownish margins ; seven longitudinal veins visible by looking through the sepal at a 



a, 



Fio. 63. Nymphaea mexicana : a, sepal ; h-e, successive petals ; /, g, stamens ; ft, section of ovary; It, section 

 of fruit, a-h from Mexican (?) plants, cult, at Riverton, N. J. ; H, from Florida plant, in the Botanic Garden, Uni- 

 versity of Pennsylvania. Six-sevenths natural size. 



strong light; inner surface yellow; opening to about 15 above horizontal. Petals 

 12 to 23, outermost of the size and shape of the sepals or somewhat narrower, obtuse 

 or acute, slightly purplish without. Inner ones narrowly obovate, rounded at apex. 

 Stamens about 50, stout, golden yellow, grading inward from petaloid to typical sta- 

 mens. Innermost stamens short, anther about as long as or shorter than its filament and 

 of the same width. Back of anthers convex, face deeply grooved between the anther 

 cells. Pollen smooth. Carpels 7 to 10; styles short, fleshy, with a deep furrow on 

 the inner face. Stigma deeply curved-funnel-shape, the papillose rays ending roundly 

 on the base of the styles; each ray with a short longitudinal median fissure (the suture). 

 Axile process small, rounded, in the bottom of the narrow central pit of the stigma. 

 Fruit spherical in Texan specimens, ovoid in those from Florida, 2.5 cm. in diameter, 

 crowned with the small stigma 0.6 cm. in diameter. Seeds globose, very large, 0.48 

 cm. in diameter, very finely appressed-hairy, dull greenish-black. 



Submerged leaves from brood-body i to 3, narrowly hastate, acuminate. First 

 floating leaves ovate to orbicular-ovate, much blotched above with reddish-brown ; sinus 

 slightly open, or overlapping ; margin entire in apical portion, sinuate below, especially 

 at angles ; under surface green, tinged with reddish-brown, with a few blackish specks. 



