LEAST YELLOW WATER-LILY. 103 



British plant, almost exclusively confined to a few 

 of our Scottish lakes. In general appearance, it re- 

 sembles some of the other species; but is very small 

 in all its parts the leaves measuring about three 

 inches in length, and the flowers about an inch and a 

 half in width. Like the Nuphar lutea, its blossoms 

 are yellow, but of a paler yellow than the flowers of 

 that plant, and slightly tinged with green. The Nu- 

 phar pumila is supposed by some botanists of high 

 authority to be identical with the N. Kalmiana of 

 the American botanists a species which inhabits 

 Canada, and which has been described as " almost a 

 counterpart in miniature of the European Common 

 Yellow Water-Lily." Indeed, it has been hinted that 

 the present is only a small variety of the preceding 

 N". lutea; but Sir James Smith considered this a 

 " most distinct species." It is generally recognised 

 as a species by the botanists of the present day, but 

 they do not seem to have entirely made up their 

 minds on the subject of its specific distinction. 



The humble and unassuming aspect of this Water- 

 Lily does not give it a very strong claim upon the 

 attention of the cultivator; it is by no means a very 

 ornamental plant, although valued highly by the Bri- 

 tish botanist, and does not by any means form a con- 

 spicuous object on the open-air pond. However, 

 what it wants in show is made up for by its botani- 

 cal interest, which should find for it a place in every 

 collection of aquatics. From its small size, it does not 



