106 Professor Lindley on Victoria regia. 



lately been received from M. Schomburgh, completely con- 

 firm the statement of that traveller, in all essential particulars, 

 and, at the same time, establish the new genus Victoria, up- 

 on the most complete evidence. The most startling circum- 

 stance named by M. Schomburgh was, that the flowers mea- 

 sured fifteen inches in diameter ; one of the specimens now 

 received measures fourteen inches in diameter, although its 

 petals have rotted off, in consequence of the bad manner in 

 which they have been prepared. 



With respect to the genus, it has already been mentioned 

 in the Journal of the Geographical Society, (vol. vii. p. 350), 

 at my request, that although Victoria is possibly the same as 

 the Euryale amazonica of Poeppig, yet it is, in my opinion, 

 quite distinct from the latter genus. I am not aware that any 

 one in this country, of any botanical reputation, has called 

 this opinion in question ; and therefore it may appear unne- 

 cessary to notice it further. But Professor Poeppig is so good 

 a naturalist, that it is due to him to state upon what grounds 

 I consider him to be wrong in the genus to which he referred 

 the plant.* 



Euryale is an East Indian water plant, with very large 

 floating leaves, sometimes as much as four feet in diameter, 

 light purple underneath, and reticulated with numerous, very 

 large, prominent veins. It is, moreover, covered with sharp 

 prickles on the under side of the leaves, the leaf-stalks, flow- 

 er-stalks, and calyx. In these particulars it agrees with Vic- 

 toria, but in little else. Victoria has the inner petals rigid, 

 and curved inwards over the stamina, into which they gradu- 

 ally pass ; in Euryale there is no transition of this kind. In 

 Victoria is a double row of hornlike sterile stamens, curving 

 over the stigmas, and adhering firmly to their back; Euryale 

 has no such structure. In Victoria there are thirty-six large, 

 reniform, compressed, fleshy stigmas ; in lieu of this very sin- 

 gular character, Euryale has only the margin of a cup, with 

 six, seven, or eight crenatures. Victoria has twenty-six cells 

 to the ovary ; Euryale only from six to eight. And, finally, 

 to say nothing of minor distinctions, the ripe fruit of Victoria 

 lies at the bottom of a regularly truncated cup, which stands 

 high above the water ; while the flower of Euryale sinks in- 

 to the water after flowering, and the fruit, when ripe, is in- 

 vested with the decayed remains of the calyx and corolla. — 

 These facts will, I think, confirm my original statement, that 

 notwithstanding the prickles of the leaves and stalks, the ge- 



* For the description of Preppig's Euryale amazonica,sce Mag. Nat. Hist, 

 vol. i. n.s. p. 606. 



