Fan Palms and Pond Flower*. 3 



Then are the glories of the Jake disclosed to us. There we find the 

 Kght and dark pink nymphceas, their rose-coloured flowers floating on 

 the bosom of the dark waters, which have come to feed this artificial lake, 

 all the way from the bounteous waters of the Canje. 



At one time the nymphceas, beautiful though they be, with their 

 delicate shade of pink and charming leaves, were surely eclipsed by the 

 pink flowers of the mystic lotus — nelwmbiwm speciosum. Probably its 

 vigorous growth has accounted for the banishment of the lotus. It can, 

 however, still be seen, persistent enough, in one of the trenches of Xew 

 Amsterdam, where as we watch the little silvery drops of water as they 

 roll off the leaves after a shower of rain, owing to a special protection of 

 the leaf-surface, few of us realise that these nehtmbiiuns were not objects 

 of veneration to the Egyptians alone, but they found worshippers in far 

 off China and Japan, India and Tibet, and we believe they yet play an 

 important part in the religious ceremonies of these countries, even to-day. 



Herodotus that " Father of History,"' as Cicero calls him, mentions 

 the lotus lily on several occasions. "They are lilies like roses, " he says. 

 •' that grow in the river, the fruit of which is contained in a separate pod, 

 that springs up from the root in form very like a wasp's nest, in this 

 there are many berries tit to be eaten of the size of an olive stone, and 

 they are eaten both fresh and dried.'' Euterpe II. 92. 



Even to-day our boys and girls love to eat the "nut-like"' fruit 

 that is found in the wasp-nest pod. So that our thoughts can be carried 

 back, by an action so simple, to 450 B.C. The libres of the leaf-stalk 

 are said to be made into wicks by the Hindu and burnt before his gods. 

 Fringing this pretty picture of pink and green are clumps of feathery 

 bamboos, aquatic ferns and grasses and our indigenous Hydroleia 

 spinosa with its delicate blue flowers, which give no suspicion of the 

 cruel nature of the thorns with which this plant is amply armed. Nor 

 must we fail to mention a tine clump of Carludovica palmata at the 

 sight of which luxuriant growth at the edge of the lake we conjure up 

 visions of a trade in Panama hats, for it is from this palm that these 

 famous hats are fashioned. Right over the brink the Xipa ftuticans 

 palm hangs its feathery leaves, laden with its large queer-shaped bunches 

 of fruit. This is a plant interesting to all botanists, for it is said to be 

 the only representative of the genus : " the fruit is a one-seeded drupe, 

 aggregated in heads as large as that of a man. The foliage called 

 Nipah is used as a thatch, and when burnt yields a supply of salt. From 

 the spadix toddy is extracted, convertible into syrup, sugar, vinegar, 

 yeast, and a strong spirit. The kernel of the fruit is edible."' (The 

 Treasury of Botany — Dr. Seemann). 



Then we cannot fail to be struck by a magnificent clump of Travel- 

 ler's palm (Ravenala species), so-called because of the water it stores in 

 the sheaths of its leaf-stalks, which is supposed to quench the thirst of 

 many a weary and sore-footed voyager. Its growth can be seen by the 

 pictures showing its appearance some time back and at the present 

 moment. 



