OiiDEK 9.— THE WATER LILIES. 



155 



NELUM'BIUM. Nelumba 



The ch<iracter of the genus the same as that of the order. 

 N. luteum. Yellow Nelumho. A magnificent flowering plant, frequent in tlie stag- 

 nant waters of the South and West, rare in N. Y. and Conn. The leaves are 

 l-2f. broad, round, entire, peltate in the centre, which is concave, and elevated 

 above the water more or less on the long petioles. Flowers several times 

 larger than the White Water Lily, but without fragrance. Petals concave, of 

 a brilliant white at edge, becoming yellow towards the base. Nuts (called 

 Water-beans) about as large as acorns, eatable. June^ Juhj. 



Order IX.— NYMPHS ACE. E. The Water Lilies. 



Herhs aquatic, with roundish leaves from a prostrate rhizoma; 



Jlowers large and showy, the sepals, petals, and stamens gradually passing 



into each other, imbricated and arranged in many rows ; 

 sejjals few, colored inside, persistent ; stigmas radiating and crowning the 

 ovary, which in fruit becomes a capsule compound and 5-celled ; 

 seeds minute, numerous, with the embryo at the end of the albumen. 



Analysis of the Genera. 



Petals large as the sepals, white, red, 

 or blue. Nymph^'a. 1 



Petals smaller than the sepals, stamen- 

 like, yellow. Froff Lily, Nuphar. 



Fig. 381. Nymphflea odorata: a, the leaf; c, 

 the flower; ft, the biul ; (7, e.f,g, stamens grad- 

 ually changing into petals; A, a seed cut open, 

 showing the embryo in a little sac. Fig. 3S3, 

 the many-rnycd stigma ; 3S4, cross-section of tlio 

 many-celled ovary. 



