29 



PLATE 33. 



NYMPHAEA STELLATA, Willd. 

 Natural Order NYMPH EACEAK. 



An aoaatic plant with submerged prostrate rhizome, throwing up leaves and 

 flowers to the surface of the water. Rhizome 2 inches in diameter, black and 

 spongy. Leaves orbicular, entire, or a little sinuate, deeply cordate at base, the 

 lobes sometimes a little overlapping, the sinus being either "at the insertion of the 

 petiole, or a litfcle below it, the leaf being then sub-peltate ; main veins radiating 

 from the insertion of the petiole, numerous, prominent beneath ; veinlets less so; 

 glabrous and. shining above, more nor less discoloured beneath; very variable in 

 size, reaching to 8-1 inches in diameter ; petioles long or short, according to the 

 depth of water in which the plant grows, terete, thickly clothed with transparent 

 hairs. Flowers solitary, rising above the surface of the water. Sepals 4, inserted 

 at base of a fleshly torus, ovato-oblong, much narrowed to apex, veins numerous, 

 green externally, bluish white internally ; 1-J 2-J- inches long, | ~ inch wide 

 Petals numerous, inserted just above sepals, in several rows ; linear-oblong, 

 narrower than sepals, and equalling them in length, blue, several veined. 

 Stamens very numerous, in many rows, on torus above the petals, the outer 

 longest, and one half to two thirds the length of the petals ; filaments flattened, 

 short, yellow ; anthers 2 celled, linear, yellow ; terminating in a blue obtuse 

 prolongation. Ovary of many carpels, concrete in the annular fleshy torus. 

 Stigmata about 20 or more, each terminating in a blunt curved appendage. 

 Fruit a berry, spongy, many seeded. 



Habitat : NATAL : In pools all over the coast districts of colony. 



Drawn and described from specimens gathered on Durban flat, February, 1898. 



This is the only species of the genus known to us in the colony. We notice 

 that in the "Index Kewensis " another species (N. capensis) is enumerated as 

 from South Africa, but this species we do not know, and in the Flora of Tropical 

 Africa it is said to be a synonym of N. stellata. This plant belongs to the same 

 Natural Order as the celebrated Victoria regia, the largest aquatic plant known. 

 Our species has so far as we know no economic value. The native name is i-Ziba. 

 As in Limnanthemura Thunbergianum, Griesb, this species has stellate hairs in 

 internal cells of petiole. 



Fig. J, Bud and flower, about natural size; 2, Whole plant reduced ; 3, Section 

 of flower ; 4, Plan of flower ; 5, Torus and stigmas ; sepals and corolla removed ; 

 6, Statnen ; 7, Section of ovary ; 8, Section of petiole showing internal stellate 

 hairs ; all reduced. 



PLATE 34. 



LlMK'ANTHBMUM THIWBERflJ ANUM, Griesb. 



Natural Order 



An aquatic plant, whose leaves reach to, and float on the surface of the water. 

 Petioles terete, glabrous, internally loosely cellular, the cells thickly clothed with 

 stellate hairs. Leaves sub-orbicular, deeply cordate at base, edge entire, or 

 obscurely sinuate, veins radiating from centre, immersed ; dull purple beneath, 

 texture 'leathery, 2-3 inches in diameter. Inflorescence in several flowered 

 fascicles springing from beknv the junction of the petioles with the leaves, the 

 flowers opening "in succession. Calyx garnosepalous, 5 parted, lobes acute, 



