Taxonomy Nymphaea ampla. 135 



N. Lotus, Linn. 1762 (the American plant). Aublet 1775. Willdenow 1797. Loudon 1855. 



N. Candolleana, Lehmann 1853 a, as to the leaf (fid. original specimen from hb. Lehmann now in 



hb. Berlin). Flower is of N. rudgeana. 

 N. foliis circinnatis maximis, Burmann 1759. 



N. ampla var. Plumieri, Planchon 1853 b. Grisebach 1857. Caspary 1878. 

 N. trisepala Gaudich. ? fid. Eichler 1878. 



Description. Flowers white, 9 to 13 cm. across. Sepals 4, coriaceous, narrowly 

 oblong, breadth: length =1:2.3 to 5-8 (average of 51 sepals from 43 flowers = 

 1 : 3.6, C-.sp. 1878), obtuse, acute or acuminate, outer surface green, marked with short 

 blackish lines. Petals 7 to 21, the outermost tinged yellowish-green. Stamens 30 to 

 190, outermost much longer than innermost ; anthers appendiculate. Carpels 14 to 23 ; 

 styles short-conical, gradually narrowed or abruptly apiculate-acuminate, acute, sub- 

 acute, or obtuse, breadth : length =1:1.5 on the average, =1:1 to 2.5 in extremes; 

 axile process rounded, breadth : length = 1 : 0.09 on the average, = 1 : 0.3 to 2.0 in ex- 

 tremes; stigma extending out on styles in short, rounded or rarely acute rays. Seed 

 sub-globose-elliptic, about 1 mm. long, with longitudinal rows of hairs. Leaves large, 

 narrowly peltate (3 to 31 mm.; average 10 mm.), sub-orbicular, 15 to 40 cm. in 

 diameter, sinuate or nearly entire, green above, with small black spots ; under surface 

 red-purple; veins prominent, principal nerves 5 to 14 (average 10) on each side of 

 leaf ; length of principal area : radius of leaf =1:2. 



Geographic Distribution. Tropical and sub-trop- 

 ical America, from 26 N. in Texas, through the An- 

 tilles, to 8 S. in Brazil; Fort Clark and Spofford, Texas 

 (Plank 1896). Lampasas, Mexico. Neuvo Leon; Lakes 

 between Ocuiltzapotlan and Famulte de las Sabanas; La- 

 gunas de Macultepec (very large specimen, coll. J. N. 

 Rovirosa, 1889, in hb. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., with petals 

 9.5 cm. long and leaf 56 cm. long by 48 cm. wide). 

 Mexico, coll. Houston, No. 173 1, in hb. British Museum. 

 Springs and streams near Monterey, Mexico (Pringle, Plant. Mex., 1889, No. 2581). 

 La Paila, New Granada. St. Domingo island. Vera Cruz, Hazienda de Mamulique, 

 Hazienda de Tamatoc, Laguna Verde, Mexico (Casp. 1878). Aguada del Labach, Yu- 

 catan, coll. Schottmuller, No. 528, in hb. British Museum ; also Gaumer, No. 428, in hb. 

 Boissier. Cuba; St. Miragoane; Alligator Pond, Jamaica; Rio Ulna, Honduras; 

 Belize, Honduras, coll. J. Robertson, Dec. 27, 1889, No. 20, in hb. British Museum. 

 Hog Island, Bahamas, coll. Eggers, No. 4081. Martinique, coll. Plee, in hb. Paris. 

 Guatemala (Smith 1 891, 1893) fid. original specimen in hb. Kew. Encruzilhada, near 

 Pernambuco, Brazil, coll. H. Schenck, Herb. Brazil, No. 4152, in hb. Berlin, and coll. 

 Gardner, No. 915, near Alinda, in hb. Kew. Demarara, British Guiana, coll. Parker, 

 in hb. Kew. Trinidad, coll. Fendler, No. 207, in hb. Kew. St. Vincent, south end, coll. 

 Smith, No. 1708, in hb. Kew. Prov. Quito, Peru, coll. Hartweg, No. 1592, in hb. 

 Boissier. 



Notes. In the arrangement of this species we have followed Caspary as closely 

 as possible; he examined the type material in nearly all of the European collections. 

 DeCandolle's type specimen consists of a leaf of this species with a flower of N. 

 rudgeana Mey. 



