WATER-LILY FAMILY 



at the top the numerous stigmas radiate as in a poppy- 

 head ending in long and narrow incurved lobes. 



Fruit. — The many-seeded ovary enlarged, covered by 

 the persistent bases of the petals. Each ripe seed is in 

 a little aril or bag, open at the top. The fruit ripens 

 under water. 



Pollinated by bees and beetles and aquatic insects. 

 Pollen, no nectar. 



" From the reck of the pond the lily 

 Has risen in raiment white; 

 A spirit of air and water, 

 A form of incarnate light. 

 Yet, except for the rooted stem 

 That steadies her diadem, 

 Except for the earth she is nourished by, 

 Could the soul of the lily have climbed to the sky?" 



— ^LuCY Larcom. 



Very generally throughout the Northern States 

 in certain elect places where the under soil is rich, 

 the water smooth and not too deep, preferably the 

 borders of lakes and the slack water of rivers, the 

 White Water-Lily finds a home. The great leaves 

 have floated since May, rising from a rootstock deep 

 in the silt borne on stems strong and pliable as if made 

 of rubber, the strength and flexibility gained by having 

 four hollow, tubular channels extending the entire 

 length of the stem. The circular leaf is leathery and 

 often bronze-red beneath, with prominent veins; 

 above, the surface is green and polished, and here 

 are the breathing pores. Most leaves have these 

 stomata in the lower surface, but the Water-Lily must 

 have them above. 



In early June the buds begin to appear, making their 

 way upward through the water on peduncles adjusted 



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