Taxonomy Nymphaea rubra. 199 



Leaves 25 cm. long or less ; breadth : length = 1 : 1.28. Sinus open or closed ; 

 margin mostly curved. Upper surface of leaf dark green, under surface dull pur- 

 plish-green, more or less pubescent. Length of pelta : length of leaf = 1 : 12. 



Tuber large, ovoid. (Other details as in N. lotus.) 



Geographic Distribution. British India to the Philippine Islands; south to 

 Java and Australia. 



Notes. Of most of the plants classed above as synonyms descriptions are not 

 available. N. sagittate was separated on account of its open sinus and entire, sagit- 

 tate leaves. , these were doubtless from a young plant. It was collected at Ambala, 

 province of Sirhind, India. N. semisterilis is said to have the leaves obtusely dentate 

 or crenate. No one except the founders of these two species has ever considered them 

 distinct. The names edulis and esculenta were given in reference to the use of the 

 tubers and seeds in India as food, as is the case with N. lotus in Africa. 



TV. pubescens is said to have been introduced into England from India in 1803. 

 Willdenow took as his type the plate entitled " Ambel " in Van Rheede's Flora Mala- 

 barica. 



The description and diagnosis given above are based on a plant grown by Mr. 

 Tricker in the Dreer gardens at Riverton, N. J., in 1902, from seed sent by Mr. 

 Gollan of Saharanpur, India, corroborated by comparison with herbarium material. 



Nymphaea rubra Roxburgh. (Plate XVIII.) 



Flowers deep purplish-red; stamens cinnabar-red, becoming brownish. Leaves 

 large, dark bronzy red, becoming greenish in age. Fruits rare. Seed nearly spher- 

 ical, dull brown, with fine, prominent, meridional ridges. 



Nymphaea rubra, Roxburgh 1806; 1814; 1824; fid. color drawings in hb. Kew. Andrews tab. 503. 



Sims 1810. Aiton 1811. Smith 1819. DeCandolle 18216; 1824. Wight & Arnott 1834. 



Wight 1850. Planchon 1850 b and d; 1852 a. Lehmann 1853 a. Lindley 1853 a. 

 N. lotus, Hooker & Thomson 1855 (in part). Miquel 1859 (in part). Caspary 1865 (in part). Bois- 



sier 1867 (in part). Not Linn. 1753. 

 N. rubra var. rosea, Sims 181 1 b. 

 N. rosea, Sweet 1827. 



N. Devoniensis, Hooker 18526, and Lindley 18536, fid. Hooker & Thorns. 1855. Garden 18830. 

 Castalia magnifica, Salisbury 1806 b. 

 C. lotus fiore rubro, Tratinnick 1822. 



Description. Flowers 15 to 25 cm. across, deep purplish-red, open from 8 p. m. 

 to 11 a. m. Sepals dull purplish-red, about 7 nerved, never opening more than io 

 above horizontal. Petals 12 to 20, narrowly oval, breadth : length = 1:3.15, rounded 

 at apex, standing at various angles in the open flower from 45 to the level of the 

 sepals. Stamens about 55, cinnabar-red, becoming brownish. Fruits very few, small. 

 Seeds 1.85 mm. long by 1.6 mm. in diameter. 



Leaves large, 25 to 45 cm. across, dark reddish-brown, bronzy, becoming green- 

 ish in age; under surface pubescent. (Other details as in N. lotus.) 



Geographic Distribution. British India; Bengal. 



Notes. In gardens is distinguished N. rubra rosea, with leaves bronzy green 

 blotched with brown ; flowers large, magenta to dull red, open until 10.30 a. m. ; petals 

 narrow, pointed; stamen tips orange-brown. 



