WHITE WATER-LILY 



to the water's depth; and at length, when summer 

 days are long and warm, the buds open and the many 

 petaled cups of snow appear, so perfect in form, 

 so delicate in texture, so spotless, so fragrant that one 

 stands charmed by their exquisite perfection. 



Every radiant floating cup is an anchored boat 

 that rises and falls with the undulating flow of the 

 water. The four sepals, each a tiny canoe in shape, lie 

 under the corolla and help to sustain the flower. The 

 flower-stems — strong, hollow tubes — are equipped to 

 bear the stress and pull of mud and wave, and they 

 hold their own bravely. The life of the blossom is 

 about three days, opening in the morning and closing 

 at night. 



A careful study of the flower shows clearly that 

 sepals, petals, and stamens, have the same origin and 

 grade into each other; the intermediate stages are 

 clear. 



After the Lilies have blossomed, the flower-stem 

 begins to curve and coil and finally pulls the seed-pod, 

 now within the remnants of the petals, under water 

 where it ripens, letting the seeds out on the water 

 floor. Each seed is in a little bag called an aril, which 

 serves as a hfe-preserver floating the seed off for some 

 distance from the parent plant. The aril finally 

 decays and the seed falls to the bottom, where if 

 conditions are favorable it develops into a new 

 plant. 



57 



