90 REMARKABLE FLOWERS. [CHAP. 
veloped in parenchyma; and in the young leaves it 
is more easily seen, as the spaces between the fibres 
are almost filled up by it. The natives of Mada- 
gascar make use of its fleshy roots for purposes of 
food, as they yield a large amount of farinaceous 
substance. 
We have referred to the largest known flower of 
Java; and if we, in imagination, visit the rivers of 
South America, we shall come across the largest 
known leaf—the Victoria regia—a gigantic water- 
lily, like the water-lily of our own streams immensely 
exaggerated. Its average size is about six feet 
across, although specimens have been found which 
measured twelve feet across the leaf. They chiefly 
abound in the rivers which are tributary to the Ama- 
zon; and Mr. Bates, in his exceedingly interesting 
work, “The Naturalist on the River Amazons,” tells 
us: “We rowed for half a mile through a magnificent 
bed of Victoria water-lilies, the flower-buds of which 
were just beginning to expand.” For particulars 
respecting the vegetation of the districts where the 
Victoria is found, we must refer our readers to Mr. 
Bates’ book; but we need not apologise to them for 
giving the following short extract from it :— 
“ The forest, most of which appears to be of second 
srowth, is traversed by broad alleys which terminate 
to the south and east on the banks of pools and 
lakes, a chain of which extends through the interior 
of the land. As soon as we anchored, I set off with 
Luco to explore the district. We walked about a 
mile along the marly shore, on which was a thick 
carpet of flowering shrubs, enlivened by a great 
