244 flora indica. [Nymphceacece . 



we have been quite unable to distinguish them in India, or in our stoves, the dif- 

 ferences between them being of degree only, except the colour of versicolor. The 

 carpels vary in number from eight to twenty and even thirty, and the length to 

 which the apices of the stiginatic rays are extended is also extremely variable: they 

 are sometimes merely blunt points, and in other cases produced into long incurved 

 points : the latter are the appendicnlate stigmata of Roxburgh's versicolor, and, as 

 Planchon rightly supposes, are very diiferent organs from the true stigmatic appen- 

 dices of JV. Lotus, N. Hookeriana of Lehmann we collected at Chittagong, and 

 again at the mouth of the Megna ; its flowers varied from rose-coloured to pale purple 

 and light blue, a ad it entirely accords with Roxburgh's N. versicolor. 



Edgeworth's N.pmictata is founded on the erroneous idea that the leaf of N. stellata 

 is not punctate, which it almost invariably is in all its varieties, though described as im- 

 punctate by De Candolle. One of Edgeworth's three flowers (in Herb. Hook.) is of the 

 variety versicolor, the two others of N. stellata, — a fair proof in itself of these being 

 but one species. Planchon, whose views of the affinities of the species are always 

 correct, has already suggested its being JV". versicolor. In all the varieties the leaves 

 vary from being quite entire to toothed along their whole circumference; all the 

 varieties agree in the arrangement of the air-canals in the peduncles and petioles. 



4. N. pygmsea (Ait. Hort. Kew. ed. alt. iii. 293); minima, foliis 

 oblongo-orbieulatis integerrimis lobis acutis, staminibus inappendicu- 

 latis, stigmatibus 4-8 late ovatis cochleariformibus. — Bot. Mag. 1525; 

 PC. SysL ii. 58; Prod. i. 116; Led. Fl. Ross. i. 84. 



Hab. Assam, Jenkins! montibus Khasia, ad Nonkrem in paludibus, 

 alt. 5600 ped. !— (Fl. Aug.) (v. v.) 



Distrib. Sibiria ! China borealis ! 



Rhizoma subperpendiculare, diametr. pollicis, pilis atris mollibus lanatum. Petioli 

 graciles. Folia l|-2 poll, longa, elliptico- v. obovato-orbiculata, lobis divergentibus 

 acutis, nervis filiformibus. Flores albi, inodori (valde odori, fid. DC), li~2 poll, 

 diametro. Calyx basi quadratus; sepalis lineari-oblongis obtusis. Fetala sub-10, 

 sepalis paullo longiora v. iis sequilonga, lineari-oblonga, obtusa. Stamina 3-4-seriata, 

 brevia, autheris connectivo sequilatis, filasnentis late dilatatis intimis ad apicem 

 ovarii insertis ; polline subgranuloso. Stigmatis radii breves, obtusi. 



This curious and well-marked little species is one of the mauy proofs of the inti- 

 mate relation between the Khasian and Chinese Floras, to which we have alluded at 

 p. 105 of our Introductory Essay ; we are unable to find any character by which to 

 distinguish this plant from the Siberian and Chinese, except the inodorous flowers, 

 which tends to weaken that analogous mark of difference between the N. carulea of 

 Egypt and N. stellata of India, and the N. alba of Europe and N. odorata of North 

 America. 



2. EURYALE, Salisb. 



Sepala 4, margini tori ultra ovarium producti inserta, erecta. Petala 

 indefinita, sepalis breviora, 3-5-seriata. Stamina indefinita, multiseriata, 

 seriebus 8-meris, filamentis linearibus ; pollen sphaericum, 3-nucleatum. 

 Ovarium 8-loculare, toro apice dilatato immersum ; stigmate discoideo 

 obscure globoso depresse concavo, tubo tori aecreto. Omila pauea, pa- 

 rietibus affixa. Bacca spongiosa, irregulariter rupta, sepalis persistenti- 

 bus coronata. Semina 8-20, arillo pulposo involuta; testa atra erassa. 



Herba aculeis horrida, rhizomate crasso Jibras crassas emittente, foliis 

 orbicularihus primum corrugatis demurn bullatis marginibiis plani$> floribus 

 piirjpiireo-violaceis siiaveolentibus, seminibus edulibus. 



A very remarkable plant, closely allied to the Victoria of the South American 



