1 8 The Waterlilies. 



white below and yellow above ; then a fourth series of slender yellow 

 leaves [stamens] and a fifth series of almost capillary members [innermost 

 stamens], followed by a row of narrow incurved bodies [carpellary styles]. 

 At the middle is a small, hard globule, and a head containing the seed. 

 The fruit is round like that of Nymphaea alba, with a green cortex, and 

 seed like that of cabbage. The peduncles are hollow, and of the size of 

 one's finger. The leaves are crenate (the crucial point of the description), 

 of a dark green color, and so numerous as to cover the whole surface of 

 the water ; they die away in November, so that Alpinus considered the 

 plant annual, in spite of the fact that it comes up again at the next 

 flooding of the Nile. The root, he says, is ovate, of the size of a hen's 

 egg, blackish outside, yellowish inside, and tastes at once sweetish and 

 astringent. This excellent description of Nymphaea lotus deserves perma- 

 nent recognition. It represents a masterly attempt to bring order out of 

 the chaos which then existed, and that by the true scientific method of 

 observation. Had subsequent descriptions been as well written, many of 

 our difficulties in nomenclature would not have arisen. 



We may mention here, following the chronological order, that Phile- 

 mon Holland, in 1601, translates the word nymphaea used by Pliny as 

 "Nemphar"; this name for the waterlily must have been more or less 

 common, therefore, in England at that time. 



Clusius in his earlier works (1576 and 1601) continues the fruitless 

 discussion of the relations of Lotus, Faba Aegyptia and Colocasia. 

 Concerning Lotus Aegyptia, however, he quotes at length from the 

 valuable text of Alpinus ; but, ignoring the latter's excellent illustrations, 

 he copies the crude figure of the white waterlily from Matthiolus (in 

 fact, the same block was evidently used in the printing), and introduces 

 confusion by labeling it " Nymphaea alba. Lotus Aegyptia Alpini." 

 Beside it appears Matthiolus' cut of Nuphar, marked " Nymphaea lutea 

 major." In 1605, however, he raised the cloud which obscured the 

 Egyptian bean of classic writers by figuring and describing a fruit of 

 Nelumbo, brought from Java by an intelligent sea-captain. 



Dodonaeus (1583) recognizes only two species of Nymphaea, namely 

 alba and lutea. His figures of these are almost if not quite identical 

 with those given by Lobelius, and his description and synonymy bear 

 a striking resemblance to the text of Hieronymus Bock. The white 

 species (candidd), he says, has great, broad and nearly round, smooth, 

 floating leaves on long, terete, smooth, porous petioles ; flowers solitary, 

 on similar stalks, composed of many oblong and acuminate leaves, in 



