Berberis.] BERBERIDEsE. 15 



few, basal, erect. Berry 1-2-seeded. Seeds oblong, testa crustaceous ; 

 embryo straight. — Distrib. N. temp, regions, sub-trop. Asia, temp. 

 S. America ; species 50. — Etym. Arabic. 



B. vulga'ris, L. ; leaves obovate spinous-serrate, stigma sessile. 

 Copses and hedges from Caithness southd., naturalized only in Scotland 

 and Ireland ; fl. May-June. — An acid shrub, 4-6 ft. Leaves on the annual 

 shoots 1-1| in., alternate, shortly petioled on the woody shoots ; reduced to 

 3-7-forked (rarely simple) spines jointed on to a very short sheath, and 

 bearing fascicles of leaves (reduced branches) in their axils. Flowers J-§ 

 in. diam., in terminal pendulous racemes, pale yellow, proterandrous ; bracts 

 short, triangular. Stamens irritable, springing forward when touched at the 

 base. Berry § in. long, oblong, compressed, slightly curved, orange-red ; 

 stigma broad, black. -Distrib. Europe, temp. Asia, N. Africa ; introd. in 

 U. States. 



Order III. NYMPH5!A'CEa. 

 Aquatic perennial herbs. Leaves usually floating, often peltate, margins 

 involute in vernation. Scapes 1-fld. naked. Floral whorls all free 

 and hypogynous, or adnate to a fleshy disk that envelops the carpels. 

 Sepals 3-6. Petals 3-5, or more. Stamens many. Carpels 3 or more in 

 one whorl, free, or adnate with the disk into a many-celled ovary ; styles 

 as many as carpels, stigma peltate or decurrent ; ovules parietal, anatro- 

 pous or orthotropous. Fruit a berry, or carpels separate and indehiscent. 

 Seeds naked or arilled, albumen floury or ; embryo enclosed in the 

 enlarged amniotic sac. — Distrib. Temp, and trop. ; genera 8 ; species 

 30-40. — Affinities. With Papaveracece, but not close. — Properties 

 unimportant. 



1. NU'PHAR, Smith. Yellow Water-lily, Brandy-bottle. 

 Flowers yellow, globose. Sepals 5-6, concave. Petals many, small, 

 hypogynous. Stamens many, inserted beneath the disk ; filaments short, 

 flattened. Carpels many, together forming a many-celled ovary ; stigma 

 peltate, rayed ; ovules many. Berry ovoid, of separable carpels, ripening 

 above water. Seeds small, not arilled. — Distrib. N. temp, hemisphere ; 

 species 3-4. — Etym. Arabic naufar. 



1. N. lu'teum, Sm. ; leaves orbicular, base deeply 2-lobed, lobes 



usually contiguous, anthers linear, stigma 10-30 rayed. 



Still waters from the Hebrides and Aberdeen southd. ; ascends to near 1,000 ft. 

 in Yorkshire; Ireland; fl. June- Aug. — Rootstock creeping in mud ; bud ter- 

 minal. Submerged leaves membranous, waved ; floating coriaceous ; petiole 

 obtusely 3-gonous at the top. Flowers fragrant, odour alcoholic. Petals 

 18-20, obovate-cuneate, thickly coriaceous, with a sub-terminal glandular 

 pore, honeyed beneath. Berry beaked. — Distrib. Europe, temp. Asia, 

 N. America. — Rootstock abounds in tannic acid, 



N. lu'teum, proper ; flower 2-3 in. diam., stigma generally entire 13-30-rayed. 

 — Yar. N. intermedium, Ledeb. ; flower 1 J in. diam., stigma waved at the 

 margin 10-14-rayed.— Chartner's Lough, Northumb., and E. Perth. 





