594 



NYMPH^A. 



THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



NYMPHJEA. 



sometimes measuring as much as 16 inches 

 across, and dark green tinged with purple 

 towards the edges, which are often partly 

 rolled inwards. The flowers 4 to 7 

 inches across are pure white with green 

 sepals, slightly incurved, and nearly 

 scentless. 



N. ODORATA MINOR. A pretty little 

 plant of slow growth, and one of the best 

 for tanks and shallow water. The starry 

 white flowers are 2 to 3 inches across, 

 with purplish sepals and sweetly scented, 

 though forms occur that are almost with- 

 out scent, and others with flowers more 

 or less incurved. The leaves are small, 

 bright green above, and deep red beneath. 

 A native of the shallow bogs of New 

 Jersey. 



N. ODORATA ROSACEA A good form 

 coming near exquisita but more vigorous, 

 with bright rosy flowers about 4 inches 

 across, paling to salmon-yellow towards 

 the crown of golden stamens ; petals nar- 

 row and pointed. 



N. ODORATA ROSEA. The Cape Cod 

 Water- Lily a plant of moderate vigour, 

 with petals of a uniform bright rose colour 

 with yellow stamens, and fragrant. It 

 begins early, and seeds so freely that 

 (unless the dead flowers are kept cut) its 

 season is short. The flowers also lose 

 colour quickly when fully expanded, and 

 will sometimes burn in hot sunlight. 

 Leaves rather small, deep red on both 

 sides while young, becoming dark green. 

 Massachusetts. 



N. ODORATA SULPHUREA. A beautiful 

 plant, distinct from all other kinds in 

 the cactus-shape of its flowers. It is a 

 plant of strong growth, forming many 

 crowns and a profusion of clear yellow 

 vanilla-scented flowers, from July into 

 the autumn. Though not much above 

 medium size, they are conspicuous, rising 

 well out of the water, and the long pointed 

 buds open early in the day. The leaves 

 rest on the water unless crowded, and are 

 evenly rounded, and finely blotched and 

 marbled. It is slow in starting to flower, 

 hardly beginning until July. 



N. O. SULPHUREA GRANDIFLORA. A fine 



form, with the same starry cactus-shaped 

 flowers, but much larger, fuller, and of 

 paler yellow. Though its parent is one 

 of the latest, this kind is the first in bloom 

 and bears the largest flower, opening out 

 very flat, with narrow, crowded petals 

 of elegant effect. It is free in flower when 

 well established, and makes many crowns, 

 with bold foliage of paler green, less 

 mottled above, but covered beneath with 

 reddish blotches. 



N. ROBINSONI. A star-like flower of 

 distinct colour, a reddish-purple deepening 

 towards the centre, which shows traces of 

 an orange ground, paling again towards 

 the tips of the petals. The flowers are of 

 medium size, with pointed and sharply 

 tapering petals, and they last longer than 



almost any other kind when open. Leaf 

 dark green, blotched with chestnut above 

 and on the stems, and reddish below. 



N. SEIGNOURETI. One of the older 

 hybrids, its colour being indistinct. The 

 flowers are dull yellow washed with rose, 

 and are held several inches above the 

 water. A compact grower, with small 

 but dense leaves, finely spotted. 



N. Sioux. This, one of the recent gains 

 given to us by the late M. Latour Marliac, 

 has handsome copper-yellow flowers. The 

 petals are pointed and sprinkled with red 

 about the edges, the stamens deep yellow. 

 The leaves are of a rich bronzy-green 

 stained with deep brown on the upper side 

 and reddish-brown on the under side. 



N. TETRAGON A. The smallest of Water- 

 Lilies. with little flowers i to 2^ inches 

 across and pure white with yellow stamens, 

 opening for three or four days from noon 

 till about 5 P.M. The leaf is as large as 

 the palm of the hand, and shaped almost 

 like a horse-shoe, with the lobes wide 

 apart ; coloured dark green above and 

 reddish below. This kind and its forms 

 thrive well in tanks ; forming no offsets and 

 spreading slowly, though free to flower 

 from May to the end of September. It 

 is grown from seed. N. Asia and parts of 

 N. America. 



N. TETRAGONA VAR. HELVOLA. A seed- 

 ling with pale yellow flowers 2 inches 

 across, open during the afternoon and 

 slightly raised above the water. The leaf 

 is oval and yet smaller than in the parent, 

 and freely blotched with brown. It thrives 

 in shallow water with a long season of 

 flower, while a dozen or more blooms may 

 often be counted at once upon a strong 

 plant. In hot sunlight they sometimes 

 come flushed with rose. 



N. TUBEROSA. The vigorous Water-Lily 

 of the United States, thriving in deep 

 water, lifting its flowers high out of the 

 water, and spreading rapidly by long 

 tuberous offsets. It should, therefore, be 

 planted by itself in deep water, but only 

 flowers freely under a warm sky or in 

 hot summers. They are creamy white, 

 without a trace of colour in the sepals or 

 petals, which are longer and broader than 

 in any other wild kind, and scenttess. 

 They vary from 4^ to nearly 9 inches 

 across, and bear larger seeds than any 

 other kind. 



N. TUBEROSA VAR. MAXIMA. A form 



found in Lake Hopatkong, New Jersey, 

 growing in deep water, and supposed to 

 be a wild cross between tuberosa and odor- 

 ata. It is of smaller growth and blooms 

 later than the parent, with cup-shaped 

 pure white flowers, prettily shaded with 

 green upon the outer petals. The flower- 

 stalks bear long hairs and a few faint brown 

 streaks. 



N. TUBEROSA VAR. RlCHARDSONI. An 



American seedling with double pure 

 white flowers standing well out of the 



