46 WATEK-LILY FAMILY. 



6. JEFFERSONI A, TWIN-LEAF, (learned for Thomas Jefferson.) 



J. diphylla, sometimes called Rheumatism-eoot. Wild in rich woods, 

 W. & S., sometimes cult. ; the pretty white flower and the leaves both long- 

 stalked, from the ground, appearing in early spring. 



6. PODOPHYLLUM, MAY-APPLE, or MANDRAKE. (Name means 



foot-lea/, the 5 - 7-parted leaf likened to a webbed-foot.) 



P. peltatum. Wild in rich soil : the long running rootstocks (which are 

 poisonous and medicinal) send up in spring some stout stalks terminated by a 

 large, 7 - 9-lobed, regular, umbrella-shaped leaf (i. e. peltate in the middle), and 

 some which bear two one-sided leaves (peltate near their inner edge), with a large 

 white flower nodding in the fork. The sweet pulpy fruit as large as a pullet's 

 egg, ripe in summer : rarely 2 or more to one flower. 



6. NYMPH^ACE-S, WATER-LILY FAMILY. 



Aquatic perennial herbs, with the leaves which float on the 

 surface of the water or rise above it mostly peltate or roundish- 

 heart-shaped, their margins inrolled in the bud, long-petioled ; axil- 

 lary 1-flovvered peduncles ; sepals and petals hardly ever 5, the 

 latter usually numerous and imbricated in many rows. The genera 

 differ so widely in their botanical characters that they must be 

 described separately. One of them is the famous Amazon Water- 

 Lily, Victoria regia, with floating leaves 3 feet or more in diam- 

 eter, and the magnificent flowers almost in proportion ; while the 

 dull flowers of Water-shield are only half an inch long. 



1. BRASENIA. Sepals and petals each 3 or 4, narrow, and much alike, dull pur- 



ple. Stamens 12-18: filaments slender. Pistils 4 - 18, forming indehiscent 

 1 - 3-seeded pods. All the parts separate and persistent. Ovules commonly 

 on the dorsal suture ! Embryo, &c. as in Water-Lily. 



2. NELUMBIUM. Sepals and petals many and passing gradually into each other, 



deciduous. Stamens very many, on the receptacle, the upper part of which 

 is enlarged into a top-shaped body, bearing a dozen or more ovaries, each 

 tipped with a flat stigma and separately immersed in as many hollows. (Les- 

 sons, p. 126, fig. 284.) In fruit these form 1-seeded nuts, resembling small 

 acorns. The whole kernel of the seed is embryo, a pair of Heshy and farina- 

 ceous cotyledons enclosing a plumule of 2 or 3 rudimentary green leaves. 



3. NYMPHiEA. Sepals 4, green outside. Petals numerous, many times 4, pass- 



ing somewhat gradually into the numerous stamens (Lessons, p. 99, fig. 198): 

 both organs grow attached to the globular many-celled ovary, the former 

 to its sides which they cover, the latter borne on its depressed sununit. 

 Around a little knob at the top of the ovary the numerous stigmas radiate as 

 in a poppy-head, ending in long and narrow incurved lobes. Fruit like the 

 ovary enlarged, still covered by the decaying persistent bases of the petals : 

 numerous seeds cover the partitions. liipe seeds each in an arillus or bag 

 open at the top. (Lessons, p. 135, fig. 318.) Embryo, like that of Nelumbium 

 on a very small scale, but enclosed in a bag, and at the end of the kernel, the 

 rest of which is mealy albumen. 



4. NUPIIAR. Sepals usually 6 or 5, partly green outside. Petals many small 



and thickish bodies inserted under the ovary along with the very numerous 

 short stamens. Ovary naked, truncate at tlie top, which is many-rayed by 

 stigmas, fleshy in fruit: the internal structure as in Nymphiea, only there is 

 no arillus to the seeds. 



1. BRASENIA, WATER-SHIELD. (Name unexplained.) One species, 



B. pelt^ta. In still, rather deep water : stems rising to the surface, slen- 

 der, coated with clear jelly, bearing floating oval centrally-peltate leaves (2' -3' 

 long), and purplish small flowers., produced all summer. 



2. NELUMBIUM, NELUMBO. (Ccylonese name.) Rootstocks inter- 

 rupted and tuberous, sending uj), usually out of water, very long petioles and 



