90 REMARKABLE FLOWERS. [CHAP. 



veloped in parenchyma; and in the young leaves it 

 is more easily seen, as the spaces between the fibres 

 are almost filled up by it. The natives of Mada- 

 gascar make use of its fleshy roots for purposes of 

 food, as they yield a large amount of farinaceous 

 substance. 



We have referred to the largest known flower of 

 Java ; and if we, in imagination, visit the rivers of 

 South America, we shall come across the largest 

 known leaf the Victoria regia a gigantic water- 

 lily, like the water-lily of our own streams immensely 

 exaggerated. Its average size is about six feet 

 across, although specimens have been found which 

 measured twelve feet across the leaf. They chiefly 

 abound in the rivers which are tributary to the Ama- 

 zon ; and Mr. Bates, in his exceedingly interesting 

 work, " The Naturalist on the River Amazons," tells 

 us : " We rowed for half a mile through a magnificent 

 bed of Victoria water-lilies, the flower-buds of which 

 were just beginning to expand." For particulars 

 respecting the vegetation of the districts where the 

 Victoria is found, we must refer our readers to Mr. 

 Bates' book; but we need not apologise to them for 

 giving the following short extract from it : 



" The forest, most of which appears to be of second 

 growth, is traversed by broad alleys which terminate 

 to the south and east on the banks of pools and 

 lakes, a chain of which extends through the interior 

 of the land. As soon as we anchored, I set off with 

 Luco to explore the district. We walked about a 

 mile along the marly shore, on which was a thick 

 carpet of flowering shrubs, enlivened by a great 



