1911-12.] BOTANICAL SOCIETY OF EDINBURGH 57 



flower 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 

 successive expansions in two different days, the first in the 

 penultimate 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 1910, we may conclude that, if Victoria regia 

 ma}* 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 1911, 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 1 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 Ev/ryale and 

 many other plants, an arrangement which is very profitable 

 for the conservation of the species. 



