122 



HYDROPELTIDEvE. II. HYDROPELTIS. NYMPHIACEJE. 



Cult. This plant will do well in a cistern about a foot deep, 

 with 2 inches of loam in the bottom for the plant to root in, 

 then filled up with water, and placed in the warm part of a 

 stove, f 



FIG. 34. 



II. H YDROPEL'TIS (from vSup i/Spoe, hydor hydros, water, 

 ireXrri, pelte, a buckler ; because the plant grows in water and 

 has leaves in the form of a buckler) Mich. fl. bor. amer. 1. p. 

 324. t. 29. Sims, bot. mag. t. 1147. Rich. arm. mus. 17. p. 

 230. t. 5. f. 22. Brasenia, Pursh. fl. amer. sept. 2. p. 389. 

 Nutt. gen. amer. no. 392. 



LIN. SYST. Polyandria Polygynia. Calyx of 3-4-sepals, colour- 

 ed on the inside (f. 34. a.) Petals 3-4. Stamens 18-36. Ovaries 

 6-18, ending in filiform styles. Carpels capsular, 1-seeded. Seed 

 ovate-globose, pendulous within the pericarp. An aquatic 

 herb with the aspect of Hydrocharis, covered with a clammy ge- 

 latinous substance. Roots fibrous, fixed in the mud. 



1 H. PURPU'REA (Mich. fl. bor. 

 amer. 1. p. 324. t. 29.) l/.H.W. 

 Native in tranquil lakes and pools 

 of water in Lower Carolina, also in 

 Tennessee, New Jersey, and Upper 

 Canada. Brasenia peltata, Pursh. 

 fl. amer. sept. 2. p. 389. Herb 

 floating. Leaves alternate, on long 

 petioles, oval, peltate in the centre, 

 very smooth, and quite entire, float- 

 ing on the surface of the water . Pe- 

 duncles axillary, 1 -flowered. Flow- 

 ers dull purple, closing and lying 

 down on the surface of the water 

 at night, and expanding again in 

 the morning. There is another 

 species found in New Holland, 

 (f. 34.). 



Purple Hydropeltis. Fl. Jul. Aug. Clt. 1798. PI. fit. 



Cult. This pretty little plant must be grown in a pond or a 

 cistern of water, and it may be increased by offsets." The plant 

 being extremely difficult to preserve is seldom to be seen in the 

 gardens of Britain. 



ORDER X. NYMPHIA'CE^E (plants agreeing with Nym- 

 phce'a in many important characters.) D. C. prop. med. ed. 2. p. 

 119. syst. 2. p. 39. prod. l.p. 113. 



Calyx of 4-5-sepals (f. 36. a. b.~), inserted in the recep- 

 tacle (f. 36. 6.), but not articulated with it. Petals and stamens 

 disposed in one or numerous series, the latter inserted a little 

 higher up than the former, alternate with the sepals. Filaments 

 flattish, sometimes drawn out beyond the cells of the anthers ; 

 anthers adnate linear, opening inwardly by two chinks (f. 36. e.). 

 Ovaries or carpels numerous, 8-24, sometimes half immersed in 

 the large honeycombed torus (f. 35. a.), each bearing a style (f. 

 35. e.), sometimes inclosed within a large and pitcher-shaped 

 torus (f. 36. c.), membranous 1-2 or many-seeded. The styles 

 in those with the free carpels are distinct and crowned by simple 

 stigmas (f. 35. e.), in those with the inclosed carpels they are pel- 

 tately-rayed above the urceolus (f. 36. d.) as in Papaver, 

 they are connate at the base, but free at the apex (f. 36. d.). 

 Seeds in the free carpels 2 or solitary (f. 35. 6.), in the inclosed 

 carpels innumerable, these last are fixed laterally to the parietes 

 of the carpels, inverted, ovate-globose, dotted, girded by a some- 



what gelatinous follicle-formed aril, and with the cells filled with 

 gelatinous pulp when mature. Albumen sometimes wanting in 

 the seeds of the free carpels, but farinaceous in the seeds of the 

 inclosed carpels. Embryo small, turbinately globose, situated on 

 the outside of the albumen at the base of the seed, therefore in- 

 verted in the fruit ; it appears undivided at first sight, because it is 

 inclosed in a membranous covering (this is not the case in any 

 other order) when this covering is torn asunder it exhibits 

 two thick leafy cotyledons. The covering falls off of itself before 

 germination. All aquatic floating plants yielding somewhat milky 

 juice, and to gardeners possessed of great interest on account of 

 the elegant form and various hues of their flowers. The trunk 

 of the root lies in a horizontal position in the mud, emitting nu- 

 merous fibres, these are eatable when dried and pounded, and 

 are made into cakes by the inhabitants of various countries. The 

 leaves are peltate or cordate, usually floating on the surface of 

 the water, involute before expansion. Peduncles rising from the 

 trunk of the root, axillary, or supra-axillary, constantly naked 

 and 1-flowered. Flowers imbricate in the bud, large, white, 

 yellow, blue and red, usually sweet-scented, resembling those of 

 Magnolia, double Paeonys or Poppies, lying on the surface of 

 the water or raised a little above it, when they begin to decay the 

 peduncle becomes inflexed and sinks in the water, where the 

 capsules soon decay and relieve the carpels, which soon after 

 vegetate. The seeds of the Lotos are pounded by the Egyptians 

 and mixed among flour. The Cy'amus or Pythagorean-bean of 

 antiquity is the produce of the Nolumbium, a stately aquatic, 

 which abounds in all the hotter countries of the East, where its 

 roots are frequently used as an article of food. This very 

 natural order, from the structure of its flower, is intermediate be- 

 tween Ranunculdcece, and Papaver -aceae, therefore joins the first 

 and second cohort of Thalamiflorce. The tribe Nelumbbnea: 

 agrees in a certain degree with Pcednia Moutdn in the torus 

 being elevated into urceolus around the ovaries. The tribe 

 Nymphceea agrees with Papaver in the structure of its fruit. 

 The order differs from Ranunculaceoe in the anthers being ad- 

 nate inwardly, as well as in the seeds being always inverted. It 

 is distinguished from Papaveraceee in the fruit opening irregu- 

 larly, as well as in the anthers being adnate, and the sepals per- 

 manent not deciduous. It also differs from Hydropeltidece in the 

 torus being elevated and surrounding the ovaries. The seeds 

 retain their vegetative power a considerable time, those of the 

 Nelumbium will vegetate after having been kept 30 years. This 

 order was formerly the cause of much difference among botanists 

 as to its station in the natural classification, its structure being of 

 so doubtful a character as to leave room for disputing whether it 

 belonged to Dicotyledbnece or Monocotyledbnece, but this has been 

 clearly settled by M. De Candolle. See the structure of the 

 embryo. 



Synopsis of the Genera. 

 TRIBE I. 



NELUMBO'NE-S:. (D. C. syst. 2. p. 43. prod. 1. p. 113.). Car- 

 pels many, distinct, 1-2-seeded, each bearing a style (f. 35. e.~), 



