N. ORD.—NYMPHACE. 18 
Tribe.—NYMPHEA., 
GENUS.—NYMPHAA,* TOURN. 
SEX. SYST.—POLYANDRIA MONOGYNIA. 
NYMPH AA. 
SWEET WATER LILY. ; 
SYN._NYMPHA45A ODORATA, AIT.; NYMPHAA ALBA, MICHX.; CAS- 
TALIA PUDICA, SALISB. 
COM. NAMES.—SWEET-SCENTED WATER LILY, WATER NYMPH, WATER 
LILY, LARGE WHITE WATER LILY, WHITE POND LILY. 
A TINCTURE OF THE FRESH ROOT OF NYMPHA[A ODORATA, AIT. 
Description.—This beautiful perennial aquatic herb, grows to the surface 
of the water from a thick submerged horizontal rootstock. The stem is absent, 
the flowers growing on long peduncles, and the leaves on separate petioles, all 
round, smooth, and furnished with four equal, central canals. Stipules deltoid or 
nearly renniform, emarginate, closely appressed to the rootstalk at the base of 
the petiole; eaves always floating, orbicular, with one deep cuneiform fissure 
passing from the circumference to the centre at the juncture of the leaf with its 
petiole, thus making it more or less heart-shaped ; smooth and shining dark green 
above, wine color beneath, plainly marked with the interlacing veins; margin 
entire. Jflorescence solitary, axillary ; flowers large, white, showy and fragrant, 
often being nearly six inches in diameter when fully expanded. Sepals four, ellipti- 
cal, scaphoid, nearly free, persistent, bright green on the outer surface, greenish- 
white internally. e/a/s numerous, arranged imbricately upon the fleshy ovary, 
the outer rows large, the inner smaller, all obtuse. Stamens.indefinite, arranged 
like the petals upon the surface of the ovary about the centre of the flower ; fila- 
ments of the outer rows petaloid, the inner more or less ligulate ; anthers with 
adnate, introrse cells. Ovary large, globular, depressed, eighteen- to twenty-four- 
celled ; ovules anatropous, borne upon the sides of the ovary, none being upon the 
ventral suture ; style none; stigma compound, peltate, marked by as many rays as 
there are cells to the ovary, these rays projecting beyond the general surface, thus 
forming a fringe of recurved, sterile, stigmatose appendages. face f se epineste 
globular, fleshy body, retaining the stigma and marked plainly by the —_— of the 
fallen petals and stamens, decaying ; dehiscence none ; seeds oblong, ae 
shorter than the enveloping, sac-like false coat; embryo situated in the albumen, 
dose +6 the hildins peel veby mmtiute cotyledons large and thick, enveloping a 
well-formed plumule. 
ion being similar to the supposed habit of fabled water nymphs. 
* The name is given on account of its situatt 
