YELLOW WATER LH.Y 77 



vided an English name for this plant, whose slij^ma has ninnerous rays 

 which do not extend to the margin. The flowers smell like brandy. 

 The sepals and petals stand upon a tlesh\' disk surrounding the ovary 

 with many ovules. The petals are small, the stamens inserted below 

 the ovar\ . Fhere is a nectary. 



The Yellow Water Lily is ac[u<uic. and the flowers rise above the 

 water le\-el but 2-3 in. during the day. It flowers irom June to 

 August, and is a herbaceous perennial. 



The 5-6 yellow sepals have taken on the function of petals, the 

 outer or underside secreting honey between them and the petals. 

 The pistil is large and the stamens are numerous, but pollination 

 by insects is accidental. The flowers are scented. The stigma matures 

 first, then the anthers, commencing outwards. 



The \-isitors are beetles, Mclit^cthcs, \"arious flies, and other beetles, 

 Onesia (.Muscid:e), Donacia dcnlata (Chrysomelicke). The pollen- 

 grains are large, rough, elliptical. 



The fruits are dispersed by the agency of water and the plant's 

 own methods. After the flower has e.xpanded at the surface it retires 

 to the bottom to allow the seed to germinate when mature, in the 

 mud at the iDottom, being thus dispersed by an automatic, almost 

 psychic, motion of the plant itself (cf Vallisncria in some respects). 

 See also Nynipluca {Casta/ia) alba. It is a Hydroi)hyte and aquatic, 

 growing in the floatingdeaf association. 



No fungi attack it. Gaknica iivnipluta, Donacia crassipcs (beetles), 

 and the moth Hydrocaiiipa potainoi^cl i \-isit it. 



The name N^ynipluva was given by Theophrastus, being from the 

 Greek iiymp/ia, water nymph, luiea meaning yellow. 



The English names are Blob, l^obbins, Brandy -Ijottle, Butter 

 Churn, Butter-pumps, Cambiedeaf, Candock, Churn, Clot, Clotedeaf, 

 Water Colts-foot, Matter-dock, Yellow or Water Lily, Li])-can, 

 Nenuphar, Water Blob, W"ater-can, Water Rose. 



The name Brandy-bottle alludes to the odour of the flower, or the 

 shape of the ovary more probably, so also Butter Churn; and Candock 

 is given from its broad lea\'es antl the shape of the o\'ar_\-, like a siher 

 can or flagon. 



The Water Lily was considered inimical to sorcery, and in the 

 Rhine district used with a certain formula. Pliny says it was used as 

 an antidote tor a lo\'e-philtre. The smoke of it burnt in a house was 

 said to drive out crickc-ts, antl cockroaches also are killed by partaking 

 ot the roots bruised and rubbed in milk; Ijut pigs are fond of the leaves 

 and the root, though other animals will not touch it. 



