Development. 99 



parent stem. The next older flower noted (Fig. 45, c) had a broad papilla 

 representing the posterior sepal, a rounded one for the right antero-lateral 

 petal and a partly formed papilla for the left antero-lateral petal. The 

 right petal was about half as large as the posterior sepal, and this was 

 about half as large as a lateral sepal, and this again half as large as the 

 anterior sepal. The next flower had the two anterior petals about equally 

 developed. The remaining organs (except the carpels) originate one 

 by one ; two postero-lateral petals come next, then four petals opposite the 

 sepals ; then four opposite the first petals. The exact order of these was not 

 determined (Fig. 45, d). In early stages the bud exceeds the peduncle in 

 length, but after the total length of the two reaches 2.5 cm. the peduncle 

 begins to exceed the bud. Previous to this stage the anterior and lateral 



Fio. 45. Development of flower, N. lotut var.; a, end view; b, side view of 

 very early stage ; c, with rudi ments o f sepals and two anterior petals ; d, sepals, 

 two whorls of petals, and one member of the next whorl laid down. 



sepals alone cover the bud ; later they are pushed apart and the posterior 

 sepal is exposed. The carpels are rather late to develop. In a bud 1 cm. 

 long they resemble little folded leaves, fused half way up the back with the 

 hollowed receptacle, but open along the ventral suture, and, even in N. 

 lotus, wholly free from each other. 



The above facts throw light on several questions, and first upon the 

 kind of inflorescence found in Nymphaea. It will be remembered that the 

 flowers stand in place of leaves on the stem, but without any subtending 

 bract. Payer says the case is very simple : Each flower arises in the axil 

 of a leaf, but on account of crowding in the bud, the flower comes to be at 

 some distance from its leaf, and it requires some experience (" il faut 

 quelque habitude ") to find the leaf to which a given flower belongs. 

 Schumann (1894) maintains the same view and cites the case of Victoria, 

 in which there are parallel spirals of leaves and flowers on the stem, and 

 at the apex each leaf has a flower to its left as they originate. Raciborski 

 (1894) opposes this with the theory that the bract is entirely suppressed in 

 Nymphaea and Victoria. This better accords with the exact location of the 

 flowers in the leaf spirals ; and in Nuphar there is at times, if not always, a 

 rudimentary bract subtending the young flowers. Eichler (1875), however, 



