Ohfervatlons on the Lotus of Egypt. 259 



ported by pedicles fimllar to thofe of fruits : they are large, 

 and have a refembkince to a Theflalian cap. When one of 

 the beans is bruifed there is feen in the infide of it a fmall 

 bodv folded together, from which the leaf arifes. The root 

 is thicker than that of a Itrong reed, and has partitions like 

 the ftem. It ferves as uouriftment to thofe who refide near 

 the marihes. This plant grows fpontaneoufly, and in abun- 

 dance. It is fown alfo in the mud, by forming for it a bed 

 of ttraw, in order that it may not rot." 



The lotus of Herodotus and Thcophraftus growls alfo ia 

 Egypt. It is the nympba^a lotus of Linnaeus*, the cha- 

 racters of which, compared by C. Savigny to thofe of the 

 vvmph^ea c<-eruiea, agree with the defcriptions given by the 

 antients. 



In regard to the rofe lily or Egyptian bean, which is fre- 

 quently carved out among' the ornaments and fymbolical re- 

 prefentations of the Egyptian temples, it no longer grows in 

 that coimtry; and would have remained unknown to natu- 

 ralifts had it not been difcovcred in India. This plant has 

 been called by Linnceusf the nympha:a nelumho. Its fruit, 

 which the Greeks compare to a wafp's neft^ has a perfeft re- 

 fcmblance to it. They called it dhorionX on account, no 

 doubt, of its rcfemblance to a cup. Thi^ fruit is (hapcd like 

 the fpout of a watering-pot, and is flatted at the upper part, 

 which contains from fifteen to thirty fmall fodse, containing^ 

 like number of feeds of the fize of a nut, and fomewhat promi- 

 nent. The plumula§, which is the rudiment of the leaves, is, 

 indeed, rolled up in the middle of the feed, as Theophralhis 

 fays. The flowers are rofes, and very large. The leaves are 

 orbicular, thuriform, and about two feet in diameter ||. 



Belon has confounded the Egyptian bean with the coloca- 

 fiaH [arum colocajia L\un.), wliich is cultivated in Egypt :_ 

 as the Greeks often gave the name of colocafia to the root of 

 the Egyptian bean **, it was a difficult matter to avoid con- 

 founding thefe two plants. 



Sprengcl remarks, that the apjiellation of colocajia was given 

 alfo to the nymphasa lotus \\. 



But we receive as much information refpefting thcfe plants 



* Spe-'icsPlantarum, p. 729. 

 •|- Ibid, p, 730. 



+ Athensi IXipnofoph. lib. iii. p. 7Z ; &: lib, xi. p. 477. Diodorus Si- 

 cukis, lib. i. Diilcoridcs, lib. ii. cap. 97. 



§ Gsertner Du Fructibus, &c. torn. i. p. 74. tab. 19. 



II Hortus Malabar, torn. xi. p. 61. 



^ Bclon, Ohfervatlons, lib. ii. chap. 28. 



•* Arhcnasi Dtipnofoph. lib. iii. p. 7* & 73. 



tt Antiquitat. botanic. Specimen prim. c. S9. 



S % from 



