IQ NYMl'JLKACE.E. Achlys. 



solittuy, erect. Fruit pulpy, becoming dry, iiulehiscent, runii\)rni, the ruuiukMl 

 ilorsal portion subcartilaginons, the ventral side strongly concave, membranaceous, 

 witli a lleshy central ridge. Seed erect, straiglit : eml>ryo very small. — A smooth 

 perennial herb, with radical trit'oliolate leaves, the llowcrs crowded in a naked spike, 

 terminating the scape. 



A secoail siiooies in Jiipau closely reaemblea the following. 



1. A. triphylla, DC. Koot creeping : leaf on petioles a foot long or more, .soli- 

 tary from a scaly base, tlio leatlets broadly cuneate, 3 to 5 inches long, palmatdy 

 nerved, the outer margin irregularly anil coarsely sinuate: scape solitary, equalling tin- 

 leaf; spike 2 to 3 inches long ; ilowers small, white, fragrant : fruit 2 lines long. — 

 Syst. ii. 35. Hook. Fl. i. 30, t. 12. 



Shady wooils iinir MumUHiuo {Uohindcr) lunl nortliwanl to Vunci.iivtT ihiiiml. S^)nlctinlt^s 

 kuowii lis Muij-.-ipple. 



Ouuiiu ill. NYMPH.ffiACEJE. 



Aquatic perennial herbs, with horizontal trunk-like rootstocks or sometimes 



tubei's, which have rather an endogenous than exogenous internal structure ; the 



leaves peltate or deeply cordate and involute from both margins in the bud ; solitary 



axillary perfect Ilowers on long peduncles ; ovules remarkable for being on the back 



or sides of the carpels (instead of the ventral eilge) ; embryo small at base of fleshy 



albumen enclosed in a lleshy bag ! .Stamens numerous. — Comprises almost half as 



many sul)orders as genera. 



The AVatar- Lilies, ami tlifir relatives, of few species ami wide geograiihioal dis]icisiou, comprise 

 8 geneni under tliieo subonlers. Tlio Water-Shield is the type of the first, Water-Lilies of* the 

 secoml, and the A'clumhiaiii or Imlian Lotus, the sole genus of the tliiid {Ndumhoncw), which 

 differs from the character of the rest in the great embryo without albumen, and the nutdike 

 carpels separately immersed in hollows of a top-slmped receptacle. To this belongs the Nelumbo 

 of Eastern America and the Indian Lotus or Sacicii Mean of Asia. There are no true Water-Lilies 

 {Nymphaca) in North America west of the Mississippi region, but one Niiphar reaches California ; 

 where also the Water-Sliickl is a solitary representative of the lirst suborder, Cabombece. The two 

 genera are briefly contrasted thus : 



1. Brasenia Pistils 4 to 18 in a cluster, pod-like, 1 - 2-seeded. Leaves on .slender stems, 



entire, centrally ])eltate. 



2. Nuphar. Pistil many-celled, many-seeded, fret;. Leaves all from the rootstock, deeply 



I'ordate. 



1. BRASENIA, Schreber. Wathii-Siiikm). 



Sepals and petals nearly alike, narrowly oblong, dull purple, hyjiogynous, each 3 

 or sometimes 4, persistent. Stamens 12 to 18, bypogynous : hlameiits slender: 

 anthers oblong-linear. Carpels 4 to 18, distinct, tipped with a linear and one-sided 

 large stigma, ripening into a kind of indehiscent 1 - 2-seeded pods. — A single 

 species. 



1. B. peltata, Pursh. Leaves floating (2 to 4 inclies long), elliptical and cen- 

 trally peltate on the slender petioles, which are alternate on the iiliform ascend- 

 ing stems, bright gieen above, reddish-brown beneath : flower small, half an inch 

 long. — Gray, Gen. 111. t. 39. 



In Clear Lake {Bolandcr) and Pit River {Brewer) ; thence to Puget Sound. Known at few 

 Pacific stations, while from Canada to Texas it aliounds, extending to Cuba. It also occurs in 

 Japan, Eastern India, Australia, and at one known station in tiopii:al Western Afiica ! The 

 .stems and stalks are coated with a clear jelly. Tlie "tuberous" rootstocks are collected by the 

 Californian Indians for food. 



