N Y M 



N Y M 



colour on the outside, pale within, quite entire, 

 valvclcss. It is a native of the East Indies. 



Culture. — It may he increased by layers and 

 cuttings. The layers may be laid down in the 

 early part of the summer, in the .usual method. 

 being made from the young branches, plugg- 

 ing the pots containing them in a hark hoi- 

 bed. 



The cuttings should he taken from the young 

 shoots, be planted out at the same tunc, and ma- 

 naged in the same manner. 



The plants, when fully rooted in either way, 

 may be removed into separate pots. They should 

 have due supplies of water, and he pruned and 

 removed into larger pots as there may be 

 occasion . 



They are very ornamental and fragrant among 

 other potted tender plants. 



NYMP1LEA, a genus comprising plants of 

 the herbaceous flowery aquatic kind. 



It belongs to the cla->s and order Polyandria 

 Monogynia, and ranks in the natural order of 

 Succulentce. 



The characters are : that the calyx is an in- 

 ferior perianthium, four-, five-, or six-leaved, 

 large, coloured above, permanent : the corolla 

 has numerous petals (often fifteen) placed on the 

 side of the germ, in more than one row : the 

 stamina have numerous filaments (often seventy) 

 flat, curved, blunt, short : anthers oblong, fast- 

 ened to the margin of the filaments : the pistil - 

 him is an ovate germ, large: style none : stig- 

 ma orbiculate, flat, peltate-sessile, rayed, crc- 

 nate at the edge, permanent : the periearpium is 

 a hard berry, ovate, fleshy, rude, narrowed at 

 the neck, crowned at the top, many celled, 

 (cells from ten to fifteen) full of pulp : the seeds 

 very many, and roundish. 



The species are : 1 . N. lulca, Yellow Water 

 Lily; 2. A", alia, White Water L'dy ; 3. N. 

 Lotus, Egyptian Water Lily ; 4. N. nelumbo, 

 Peltated Water Lily. 



The first has the leaves smooth, plane, except 

 that they turn up a little at the edge to keep off 

 the water, tough and pliant, ten oi twelve inches 

 in diameter, floating, ovate or nearly orbicular, 

 bright green above, paler underneath, with 

 branched raised nerves or veins: the petioles 

 are smooth, three-sided, their length depending 

 on the depth of water, sometimes live (let and 

 a half in length. The case is the same with 

 the peduncle, which always elevates the flower 

 above the water ; hut alter it is impregnated, the 

 seeds are ripened unci . into the 



mud at bottom to produce new plant-. : the pe- 

 duncles are round, succulent, and one-flowei 

 the flowers an inch and half in diameter, i 



a vinous smell. It is a native of most parts of 

 Europe, flowering in July and August. 



The second species has a tuberous mot, fre- 

 quently the size of the hum. in arm, creeping 

 far and wide and deep in mud : the whole pianl 

 is larger in all its parts than the first : the leaves 

 are much the same, only larger: the petioles 

 and peduncles round, within lull ofpores, four 

 of which are generally larger than the rest ; hairs 

 interwoven between: the flowers large, being 

 sometimes six inches in diameter, very hand 

 some and double. 



According to Linnaeus, the flower raises itscll 

 out of the water and expands about seven o'clock 

 in the morning, and closes again, reposing upon 

 the surface, about four in the evening. It is a 

 native of mo*t parts of Europe, flowering in 

 July and August. / 



The third resembles the second very much in 

 the form of the flower and leaves, but the latter are 

 toothed ibout the edge. It is a native of the hot 

 parts of the East I tithes, Africa, and America, 

 flowering about the middle of September near 

 Cairo, in Lower Egypt. The Arabians^'call it 

 Nuphar. A bread was formerly made of the 

 seed when dried and ground. 



The fourth species has a horizontal root, long, 

 creeping, consisting of joints linked together, 

 ovate-oblong, white, fleshy, esculent, tubular 

 within : the leaves exactly peltate, with a cavitv 

 in the centre above, and dichotomous veins 

 springing from the same centre, orbiculate, 

 with a point on each side, a little waved, thin, 

 paler underneath, smooth, of different sizes, 

 from four to twelve inches : the petioles erect, 

 very straight, round, hispid or muricated, 

 thicker below, attenuated above : the peduncle 

 the thickness of a linger below, attenuated above, 

 spongy, muricated, one-flowered : the flowers 

 as large as the palm of the band, or larger, 

 purple. It is a native of the Indies, &C. 



The Chinese have the roots not only served up 

 in summer with ice, but laid up in salt and vine- 

 gar for w inter : the seeds arc somewhat of the 

 si ye and form of an acorn, and of a taste more 

 delicate than that ot almonds: the ponds in 

 China are generally covered with it, and exhi- 

 bit a very beautiful appearance when it is in 

 flower; and the flowers arc no less fragrant than 

 handsome. 



Culture. — The two first suit.-, may hi' bcsl in- 

 creased by procuring some of their seed -vessel? 

 just as they become ripe and ready to open, and 

 throwing them into canals, ponds, ditches, 01 

 oilier .lauding w at< i -. w b( re the seeds, sinking to 

 the bottoms, afford plant- in the following spnn* 

 i»g upon the suiface of their waters, 

 X S 



