WATER-LILY HOUSE 103 



to have been employed for the purpose. In order to counter- 

 act the contraction which takes place in drying, similar slices 

 are to be glued on across the grain of the former, after which 

 the sheet produced, must be subjected to strong pressure. 



Left of the Papyrus is a strong plant of Mariophyllum 

 proserpinacioides. 



Further to the right is a fine clump oiJVelumbium speciosum t 

 the Sacred Bean of Egypt, anciently cultivated in that country, 

 but no longer found there, though common enough in various 

 parts of the East Indies. Its leaves, which are orbicular, 

 sometimes measure 2 ft. in diameter ; and its handsome and 

 fragrant flowers may exceed the size of 10 in. The ancient 

 Egyptians used the seeds, which are enclosed in a pepper- 

 box-like fruit, as an article of food. 



The Lotus is extensively cultivated by the Chinese, by 

 whom the roots are highly valued as a vegetable. 



Nelumbium luteum from Carolina, with pale yellow flowers, 

 flowered freely in the first years of the house, circ. 1852. 



At the corners of the tank, rising behind clumps of Cyperus, 

 are small specimens of Plantains and Bananas. Musa 

 paradisiaca is remarkable for its large oblong entire leaves, 

 from the centre of which issues a spike of flowers disposed 

 round a common axis, each group protected and covered over 

 at first by a coloured bract, which afterwards drops off and 

 thus allows the fruit to expand and ripen. This species, 

 however, is too much checked in its growth by the dimensions 

 of our house to yield fruit; but another, the M. cavendishii 

 or dwarf Banana, which grows only to the height of 6 ft. or 

 8 ft., produces in most years large bunches of fruit,* which are 

 (or should be) eaten by the Vice-Chancellor, the President of 

 Magdalen, and the Professor of Botany. M. cavendishii is a 

 Chinese plant which has had an interesting cultural history, 

 for it has now been widely distributed in the Pacific Islands. 

 A specimen grown at Chatsworth was exported in a Wardian 



* Bananas ripened in the years 1888, 1889, I 89 I > l &9$i l &97> and 1903. 



