Wild Flowers East of the Rockies 117 

 WATER LILY FAMILY (Nymphaecae). 



COW LILY; YELLOW POND LILY (Nymphaea 



advena). This lily has the misfortune of being close- 

 ly related to and associated with the Water Lily, 

 one of our most beautiful, most fragrant, and most 

 prized wild flowers. It is another case of "comparis- 

 ons are odious," and the yellow lily suffers in conse- 

 quence. It is, however, not unattractive and is in- 

 teresting in its make-up. The leaves are thick, rough, 

 ovate, slit or lobed to the stem, which is long and hol- 

 low. The flower is raised above the surface of the 

 water on a long hollow stem. What appear to ' be 

 six large green arid yellow petals are in reality sepals; 

 the real petals are numerous, stamen-like, inserted 

 with the very numerous stamens under the golden- 

 yellow rayed disk that forms the stigma. 



The Cow Lily is very common in still or stagnant 

 water, often growing so profusely that passage in 

 boats is almost impossible. It is found throughout 

 the United States and southern Canada. 



WATER LILY; WATER NYMPH (Castalia odor- 

 ata) needs no introduction to our readers. To my 

 mind, it leads all other flowers in beauty, grace, pur- 

 ity and fragrance. It is composed of four sepals, 

 greenish on the outside and whitish within, and 

 numerous pure, waxy-white petals; the golden-yel- 

 low stamens, and anthers mature later than the ra- 

 diating central stigma. The flowers open soon after 

 sunrise and close shortly after noon; they sometimes 

 are gigantic in size, often spreading five or six inches 

 across. It flowers from June to Sept. in ponds or 

 slow-moving water, everywhere; in ponds near the 

 coast, we find a variety (roseae) that has pink or 

 bright pink-red flowers. The rounded, lobed, long- 

 stemmed leaves are pinkish beneath. 



