1930 VICTORIA 



British Guiana, but tliey soon died. In 1840 Bridges 

 obtained seed in the Bolivia locality, province of Moxos, 

 and sent thera in a jar of wet clay to England. Out of 

 22 seeds obtained at Kew, three germinated and grew 



in \Var<l, ■,. ,,,: ..•, . ^ |-,,ll,..l, :,u.i II, r .r,M, 



refuse,! ,.. J ■. . In 1-11. ;ni .•X|,r.l,ll..„ In. 1,1 



Demeraiii .,u. i ■■,.,i. .1 in l.iiuyiiif; buck to that t.j«n 

 thirty-tive living plants, but these all died. Finally 

 some seeds were sent to Kew from British Guiana in 

 bottles of fresh water by two English physicians, Rodie 

 and Luckie. The first sending arrived Feb. 28, 1849, 

 and on Nov. 8 a plant flowered at Chatsworth; the 

 blossom was appropriately presented to Queen Victoria. 

 From this stock Victoria regia was distributed to gar- 

 dens In Europe, Asia and America. Van Houtte, of 

 Ghent, first flowered it on the continent, and Caleb Cope, 

 of Philadelphia, was the earliest successful cultivator 

 in this country. His gardener was the late Thomas 

 Meehan. The first flower opened Aug. 21, 1851. 



The next notable importation of spod from South 

 America was sent by Edward S. Rnml, Jr.. ti-.iiii Para, 

 Brazil, to Mr. Sturtevant, then at r.or.l.iit..\vn. N. J. 

 The resulting plants proved to be sli^-liily ilirtcniit from 

 the former type, and were called I', nijin, var. Ii'undii. 

 It is doubtless the same form that was described by 

 Planchon as V. Ama^onica, and retained with grave 

 doubts by Caspary; subsequent cultivation has shown it 

 not even varietally distinct from V. regia of British 

 Guiana. In 1894, however, Mr. Tricker received seed of 

 quite another species, which was provisionally named 1'. 

 regia, var. Trickeri; it is much more amenable to out-of- 

 door culture than the older type, and has received a well- 

 deserved popularity. Specimens grown from seeds sent 

 by Mr. Tricker to Kew were regarded simply as garden 

 forms of V. regia, but recent investigation by Mr.Tricker 

 and the writer shows that it is truly the V. Crusitina of 

 d'Orbigny, dried specimens of which (including seeds) 

 had been sent to Paris over 60 years before. Its far south- 

 ern habitat |27° S.) explains its hardiness. The large 

 starchy seeds of this species are used as food in Para- 

 guay under the name of .V.ii.s- (irl Agtm, "water-corn." 



In I8.')4J..1hi Fisk All-ii |.iil.livl„M in Boston a c|Uai-lo 

 work (pages 21 x 27 in.) with colored plates, entitled: 

 "Victoria regia; or the great water lily of America. 

 With a brief account of its discovery and introduc- 

 tion into cultivation : with illu.strations by William 

 Sharp, from specimens grown at Salem, Massachusetts, 

 U. S. A." 



rfigia, Lindl. (including V. regia, var. Randii). Fig. 

 2668. Lvs. sparingly pubescent beneath, upturned mar- 

 gins reddish, 3-8 in. high: fls. beconiiiii.' dull crimson tlie 

 second evening; sepals prickly iilmosi .,r i|uit.- to tlir 

 tips: prickles of the ovary about two lilili^ m. iln ii 

 mm.) long: seed elliptic-globose, iir.n h ' , in. Iohl-. b'-s 

 in diam. (7-8 mm. long, 5J^-6 mm. <linni. i : ia|.h.- iii'lis 

 tinct: operculum elliptic-orbicular, with the mii-ropyle 

 at its center and hilum at the margin. British Guiana, 

 Amazon and tributaries. B.M. 4275 (poor); 4276-78 

 (incorrect in some details). F.S. 6:.'J9.5-602. Kerner, 

 Natural History of Plants, pi. XI. Tricker, Water Gar- 

 den pi. 1 and 2; p. 21, 35. Caspary, FI. Brasil. 4, part 

 2, pi. 38, fig. 15 (seed). 



Cruziina, d Orbigny (known in cultivation as V. 

 rh/ia, var. Trickeri, and V. Trickeri). Lvs. densely 

 villous beneath, upturned margins green, 6-8 in. high: 

 fls. becoming deep red-pink the second evening; sepals 

 prickly only at base, smooth above: prickles of ovary 



.o-lfi mm.) ]. 



about ';; ill. I 7' . -:i itim i n 



from th. I I 



gUay. 'rrirl..,.r.\\":il.T I .: 



Fl. Brasil. 4, piut 2, pi. 

 Wm. Tricker in 1894. 



subglobose, 

 liani : r 1 1 1 1 1 - 1 out ; Operculum 

 II I I !o equidistant 



II II I ofaries, Para- 

 liii. [>l. I : I'll ."il . ."ij. Caspary, 

 ■!8. li^'. It; ( si-cd ). — Introd. by 

 He.xky S. Conard. 

 Victoria regia at first was cultivated at a great ex- 

 pen.se in conservatories and tanks built especially for 



VICTORIA 



the purpose. Then it was grown in iirtiticially lif-ated 

 ponds in the open air. The Victoria i^ ii-'i-. ji ...ii in 

 private and public gardens throu.ii i • w.-iX 



States at the present time, together \\ ; i: i n in- 



plu-eas, and in some cases without art nil n I i,: iins 



nnilio.l (it culture is uncertain and oil I I ,i | :ii\-. 



i 'or 111,111 \ \ r;, IS Imt one type of \'ii 1 ■ i ; in, 



liiii Ml 1-0 Mr i:. D. Sturtevant, of l; '. .1., 



Ml! 1 iiliir. <1 ahoilo-r form that proilina.i ,i ... , |, nini- 

 -'111 1' 1 II ,J... possessed darker loha-e ami the 

 ii||| I- deeper. It was known as Viciuria 



I; I II -rown this variety and the original for 



s' , r ; I ill the open air, the writer is unable to 



di-i I 1 11 ,r,\ -liil.rL-uee, and two seasons nu-o In- ile.-i.lcd 

 todrnp V. h-.nuJii. In 1894 the uii.l.i-i-iH ,1 ,. . i u od 

 seed of what is now known to the trail i / ,,. 



This is by far the best kind for ooi , „,■. 



Moreover, it can be grown where I'. /. ," > i nU i.. L-mw, 

 as it revels in a tem|ieratun- ol only 7j"-bt)^. 



Victoria regia is now .■,,ii-iii,.|,a| of easy culture. Its 

 requirements are lieai. Ii:;lii ami a rii'h, mellow loam in 

 abundance. The see. 1 slioul,) he sown during February 

 and March. Tlie ieiii|ii raiure of the water should range 

 between 8.")'- lo lio i'. I'le- seed may be planted in pots 

 or seed-pans ,111(1 |.|,ira ,| in shallow water. A tank 8-12 

 in. deep, li.nin- a nieial lining, copper preferred, is 

 very serviceiilile for seeiiliiigs and young plants. Where 

 sufiicient heat is not attained from the heating pipes, an 

 addition can be made by the use of an oil-lamp. It is 

 altogether unnecessary and unnatural to file or chip the 

 seed to assist or li.-isteii termination. The seedlings will 

 ai'Iiiai 111 aiidiii i.i(iii\ (l,i\s. though occasionally a few 

 nil 1, i I These should be potted oflf 



sill 1 I I lining fine, loamy soil. The 



wall 1 1. nil" 1 aiiiK !(ir ilie young plants should be the 

 same as directed for the seed pots. As soon as the 

 young plants acquire their first floating leaf they will 

 doubtless be benefited by repotting. From the very be- 

 ginning, as sprouted seeds, they should be kept steadily 

 growing, repotting at intervals, until they are planted 

 out in their suninier ipiarters. As the young plants ad- 

 vance they will r((|uire nene space, so that the leaves 



are not crouald and overla|i lacli oilier. 



To raise idaiiis ,,( l'. /cc/,,,, is altogether a different 



Una : i;,v I,, 7n i. -1,111.1111?. The seed may be sown in 



Ion- on.- must wait for tlie seedlings to appear, and also 

 as to wliat percentage of seeds will germinate. As soon 

 as the seedlings appear they should be treated like seed- 

 lings of V. regia, except as to temperature, wliieli should 

 be kept as above stated for seedlings and small plants, 

 and as the season advances may be raised to 7.'>° and 

 80°. The rationality of the cool treatment here advo- 

 cated is borne out by the fact that early in June quanti- 

 ties of seedlings appear in the pond in the open where 

 a plant has grown the preceding season, the seed hav- 

 inu' n niained in the pond during the winter. Planting 

 ill ~uiiinn-r quarters maybe done early in June or wlien- 

 ev. r ii is safe to plant out tender nymphseas, that is. 

 Hh. 11 tlie pond is not .artificially heated. Where it is 

 desii, .1 i.. jdaiit out ill unlieated ponds it is not safe to 

 plain 111 Lire ilii mill. He nr latter end of June. The con- 

 diliiui- of I lie \M Mill. r. . arliness or lateness of the sea- 

 son, locality, el.-., must all be taken into account. 



The best results are to be obtained from an artificially 

 heated pond, or pits ip the pond specially constrncled 

 to start the Victorias, these pits to be heated by hot 

 water or stonm and covered with frames and sashes. 

 Hv tMs m,.tli...l idants may be set in their summer 



eral places in the United States, notably at Schenley 



N. v.; also at many notable gardens in Europe. Plants 

 grown under glass usually attain to larger dimensions, 

 as the,v are protected against climatic changes and the 

 elements, besides enjoying more of a tropical atmos- 

 phere. There is, however, more than one disadvantage. 



