Il6 THE SCOTTISH BOTANICAL REVIEW 



was several days, and during the last few days they exhibited 

 marked movements of nutation, rising gradually to water- 

 level in the morning and sinking in the afternoon. The 

 flower presented also the striking phenomenon of two succes- 

 sive expansions in two different days, the first in the penulti- 

 mate and the second in the last day, in each case during the 

 afternoon, the one with white, the second with red corolla, and 

 graceful changes of colour with beautiful gradation. The plant 

 ripened fruits with perfectly formed seeds, although without 

 cross fertilisation. 



By these experiments, accomplished in the years 1907, 

 1909, and 19 10, we may conclude that, if Victoria regia 

 may grow on pools in Sicily on open ground (" Bull. Soc. 

 Tote. d'Orticultura, " 1907, p. 114), probably also in southern 

 Italy, it may be grown in the plains of central and northern 

 Italy with an appropriate greenhouse and practically using 

 only solar heat. The trials made to cultivate this plant 

 on open ground in our botanic garden till now have all 

 completely failed, because by night the culture-tank being 

 without cover is cooled by radiation ; nevertheless that is not 

 to say that under special conditions and in very hot summers 

 the cultivation may not be successful. Meanwhile, lately, 

 during 19 11, in the same greenhouse employed for the 

 experiments above quoted, some seeds left in the bottom of 

 the basin from the preceding culture germinated in the month 

 of May, without artificial heating, and two of the seedlings 

 so obtained grew and reached maturity, producing leaves of 

 more than i m. in diameter, and flourished perfectly, bearing 

 several flowers. 



I may say also that in the seeds of this plant I have been 

 able to observe germinal asynchronism, viz. that the seeds 

 germinate at different times, and then they may do so in 

 different successive years, as is the case with Euryale and 

 many other plants, an arrangement which is very profitable 

 for the conservation of the species. 



