128 The Waterlilies. 



Nymphaea gigantea Hook. (Plate III.) 

 Diagnosis. See under subgenus Anecphya. 



Nymphaea gigantea, W. J. Hooker 18520, Ad. original specimen in hb. Kew. Planchon 18516, 

 1852 d, 1853 6. Rev. Hortic. 18526. Lehmann 1853 a. Paxton 1853 d. F. Muller 1861, 

 1862. Bentham & Muller 1863. Caspary 1865. Garden 1883 b. G. & F. 1893 a, with good 

 half-tone. Tricker 1897. Moenkemyer 1897. G. C. 1900. Conard 1901a. Not seen: 

 Lemaire 1853; Duchartre 1858; A. G. 1894, 1897. 



Castalia stellaris, Salisbury 18066 (in note to tab. 14, referring to specimen collected by Banks at 

 Endeavor River). 



Castalia gigantea, Britten 1888 a. Lawson 1889. 



Victoria Fitsroyana, Hort. (fide Hooker, 1. c). 



Description. Flower 6 to 30 cm. in diameter (12.5 to 19 cm. as cultivated about 

 Philadelphia; 30 cm. in the type specimen, dried), opening for 7 days from 9 a. m. to 

 7 p. m. (Casp. 1865), inodorous. Bud ovoid, rounded at apex. Peduncle terete, 

 rather slender (1 to 2.5 cm. in diameter), tapering upward, smooth, light green, rising 

 10 to 35 cm. (18 inches, Robinson 1865) above the water; air-canals as in group 

 Apocarpiae (figured by Hooker 18520, as petiole). Receptacle short, small, dark 

 green. Sepals 4, oval or elliptic, rounded at the apex, breadth : length = 1 : 2.5 to 3 

 (average) ; persistent in fruit. Anterior (outermost) sepal pure green without, with 

 a few blackish lines and dots; margins blue-purple above, shading to carmine-purple 

 at point of attachment. Posterior (innermost) sepal with a broad green area in mid- 

 dle of back; a wide border (3 to 5 mm.) around apex and sides, narrowing to the 

 base of the sepal, covered by the lateral sepals in the bud, of a dark royal-purple color 

 in apical part, shading to sky blue at sides and carmine-purple at base. Lateral sepals 

 with one side covered, and similar in coloring to posterior sepal. Five strong veins 

 and several smaller ones visible at base of each sepal. Inside of sepals sky blue, 

 shading to royal purple at apex, dark blue on lateral margins, and carmine purple be- 

 low. Petals 18 to 51, longer than the sepals and not entirely covered by these after 

 the first day of opening; outermost petals obovate, obtuse, narrowed at base, deeply 

 concave, not at all sepaloid, outside sky blue, shading to royal purple at apex and base, 

 similar in color, but paler, within. Intermediate petal obovate to spatulate, rounded 

 at apex, tapering at base, colored like outer petals, but paler throughout; innermost 

 petal oblanceolate, rounded at apex, tapering to the base, pale whitish blue, tinged 

 pure blue at apex and base. All of the petals thin and fragile, finely 1 to 7 nerved, 

 satiny and crumpled like chiffon, fading in color on later days of opening. Stamens 

 367 to 745, incurved at summit through an arc of 45 to 90 , half as long as the 

 petals, separated from these by a wide interval and inserted densely on the upper 

 part of the ovary. Anthers bright yellow, about 75 outer ones bearing a short, thin, 

 acute apical appendage (or all unappendaged, Casp. 1865). Filaments paler yellow; 

 10 or 12 outermost ones broader than their anthers; all the rest are nearly or quite 

 thread-like and longer than their anthers. " Outermost anthers first to open, inner- 

 most last. Pollen smooth" (Casp. 1865). Carpels 12 to 20, quite distinct from one 

 another and rather easily separated from the receptacle, stigmatic over all their upper 

 free surfaces ; carpellary styles wanting. Ovules large, few in number. Seed " large, 



