158 



The Waterlilies. 



Description. Flowers 15 to 25 cm. across (25 to 250 mm., Casp. 1877), open- 

 ing on 3 to 5 successive days from 1 1 a. m. to 5 p. m. ; highly fragrant ; number of 

 floral organs 175 to 300, average about 220. Bud rather broad, oblong-ovate, obtuse or 

 rounded at apex. Peduncle stout, rising 10 to 20 cm. above the water, with 6 main 

 air-canals. Receptacle rather long, swollen, with sloping sides. Sepals 4, oblong- 

 ovate, breadth : length = 1 : 2.3 to 3.0, obtuse, opening about 15 above horizontal ; mar- 

 gins gently curved toward the apex ; outer surface dark green, often shaded with red- 

 dish-brown in upper three-quarters ; uncovered margins deep carmine-brown, covered 

 margins shading from carmine-brown to deep violet ; inner surface deep purplish-blue 

 above, shading to yellowish-green at base. Innermost sepal narrowest, with broad 

 (12 mm.) covered margins. Outer surface of sepals with 7 principal veins (5 in small 



Fio. 61. Nymphaea capensis zaiizibariensU : Sepals, petals, and stamens of successive 

 series, slightly reduced. 



flowers) ; alternate with these are 8 more slender nerves. Inner surface shows the 

 veins as darker lines, there being 32 or more at base of each sepal. Petals 16 to 24, 

 long obovate, the outer obtuse, innermost acute, all rich deep blue above, with obscure 

 darker veins, shading through carmine-purple to whitish at the point of attachment to 

 the torus. The outer 4 stand in a whorl alternate with the sepals ; all, or only the outer 

 2, carmine-brown on the back just above the base. Second whorl consists of 8 smaller 

 petals, alternate by twos with the sepals. A third whorl of 8 still smaller petals follows, 

 alternating with the second, but often only the anterior and lateral ones are devel- 

 oped. A few petals of a fourth whorl, alternate with the third, may be present, even 

 when the third is not fully developed. All of the petals, except those of the fourth 

 whorl, have 5 principal nerves, visible on the outer side. Stamens 126 to 242 accord- 

 ing to size of flower, slightly shorter than the petals; appendage and inner side of 

 outer anthers deep blue, back of anthers deep carmine-purple, giving way to light yel- 

 low on the long-elliptic filament. Inner filaments inverted wedge-shape. In very large 



