VI. NrMPHJEACE^. 25 



Carpels confluent with the disk into one ovary ; ovules many ; seeds 



albuminous 1. Nymph.ea. 



Carpels iri-egularly scattered, sunk in pits of the turbinate dis k ; 



ovules 1-2 ; seeds exalbuminous 2. Nelujibium. 



1. NYMPH-ffiA, Liuu. 



Large aquatic herbs ; rootstock creeping. Flowers large, floating, on 

 long, radical scapes, expanded. Sepals 4, inserted at the base of the 

 torus. Petals 12-28, in many series, the inner gradually transformed 

 into stamens, all aduate to the base of the disk. Filaments petaloid, 

 40-60 in many series. Anthers narrow-linear; shts introrse. Ovaries 

 many, immersed in a fleshy torus and combined with it, forming a 

 many-celled ovary, crowned by the connate, radiating, furrowed stigmas; 

 ovules numerous, anatropous. Fruit a soft spongy berry, ripening under 

 water, bursting irregularly. Seeds minute, nesting in pulp, enclosed in 

 a sac-like, fleshy aril, albuminous. — Disteib. Throughout the greater 

 part of the world ; species about 25. 



Anthers without appendages ; stigmatic rays with clavate appendages. 1 . K. Loins. 

 Anthers with appendages ; stigmatic rays without appendages 2. N.stellata. 



1. Nymphaea Lotus, L'mn. Sp. PI. (1753) p. 511. Eootstock 

 tuberous, short, ei'ect, roundish. Leaves peltate, 6-10 in. in diara., 

 orbicular or reniform (the younger subsagittate), deeply cordate at the base 

 the sinus 2|-3 in. deep, sharply and irregularly sinuate-dentate, with 

 very sharp hard teeth, glabrous and often nigro-punctate above, velvety- 

 pubescent and prominently veined beneath ; petioles very long, cylindric, 

 submerged, glabrous or puberulous, inserted |-| in. within the basal 

 margin. Flowers solitary, 8-8 in. across, red, pale rose, or white, open 

 in the moi'nings only ; peduncles very long, usually pubescent. Sepals 

 oblong, obtuse, 5-10-ribbed. Petals about 12, oblong, obtuse, about thrice 

 as long as broad. Stamens about 40 ; anthers without appendages ; 

 filaments much dilated at the base ; pollen smooth. Stigmatic rays 10- 

 20, with clavate appendages. Fruit 1^ in. in diam., fleshy, globose, green, 

 ripening beneath the water. Seeds ovoid, rough ; aril white, transparent. 

 Fl. B. I. V. 1, p. 114 ; Dalz. & G-ibs. p. 6 ; E. Caspary, in Engl. & 

 Prantl, Pflanzenf. v. 3, part 2, p. 8, fig. 9, a, b ; Trim. Fl. Ceyl. v. 1, 

 p. 49 ; Woodr. in Journ. Bomb. Nat. v. 11 (1897) p. 121 ; Watt, Diet. 

 Econ. Prod. v. 5, p. 436. Nympha'a rubra, Eoxb. ex Salisb. Parad. Lond. 

 1, sub t. 14 ; Grab. Cat. p. 5. — Flowers all the year. Vern. Kamal. 



Common throughout India in the warmer parts ; cultivated in the Bombay Presi- 

 dency. — DiSTRiB. Africa, Hungary, Java, Philippines. 



Var. l.jnibescms, Hook. f. & Thoms. Fl. Ind. (1855) p. 241. Leaves 

 more densely pubescent beneath. Flowers smaller, 3-4 in. in diam. 

 Sepals oblong, acute. Ni/mphcea ^ntbescens, Willd. Sp. PI. v. 2, p. 1154; 

 Grab. Cat. p. 6. 



Equally common with the former. Both are cultivated in the Bombay Presidency. 

 The roots and seeds are eaten in times of scarcity. 



2. Nymphaa stellata, Willd. /S>. PI v. 2 (1797) p. 1153. Eoot- 

 stock ovoid, short, acute. Leaves peltate, 5-8 in. in diam., orbicular or 

 elliptic (the younger sagittate), obtusely sinuate-dentate or entire, with 

 a narrow sinus 2-3 in. deep, glabrous on both surfaces, often blotched 



