8 NYMPH^ACEiE. 



ORDER III.— NYMPHtEACE^, Salisb.— Lindl. Nat. Syst. p. 10. 



THE WATER-LILY TRIBE. 



Floating plants, dispersed over various parts of the world, all perenni- 

 al, and distinguished generally by large, beautiful flowers. Their number 

 amounts to 29 species, of which 7 inhabit India ; 6 N. America ; 4 Europe ; 

 3 S. America ; 2 Egypt ; 2 Siberia ; 1 China ; 1 Japan ; 1 Madagascar ; I S. 

 Africa; and 1 the W. Indies. Of the 7 Indian forms, 1 belongs to Euryale ; 

 to Barclay a ; and 5 to Nymphcea. 



Their stems are bitter and astringent, and contain a considerable 

 quantity of fsecula, which may be used as food. (DC.) 

 Euryale, Salisb. {DC. pr. \, p. 114.) 



1. ferox, Salisb. {DC. I. c.,—B. M. 35, t. 1447.— Anneslea (not Wall.) 

 spinosa, Andr.; B. Repos. 9, t. 618; — Roxb. fl. ind. 2, p. 573.) % 

 Luknow, Tippera, Chittagong, Saharunpore. Fl. small, bluish-pur- 

 ple. R. S., fr. C. S. — Seeds farinaceous, and, after having been 

 heated in hot sand and husked, eaten by the Natives. (Roxb.) 

 Nymphcea, L. (DC. pr. l,p. 114; — W. and A. pr. l,p. 16.) Water Lily. 



1. pubescens, Willd. (DC. I. c. p. 115 ; — W. and A. I. c. — J. Grah. Cat. 

 B. pi. p. 6. — N. Lotus, Burm., — Roxb. fl. ind. 2, p. 577, — not L. — 

 Rheed. lL,t.26. ^"S^Tt^ Buro-shaluk. 2/. Africa. Both Peninsulas 

 of India, Bengal, (Serampore), &c. ; in short, like the other species, 

 except N. rubra, found in every part of India, from 8° to 32° N. Lat. 

 (Royle.) Fl. large, white, of a vinous smell, — R. and C. S. ; — fr. 

 H. S. 



2. rubra, Roxb. (Fl. ind. 2, p. 576 ,—DC. I. c.,—W. and A. I. c. p. 

 17;— J. Grah. Cat. B. pi. p. 5 ,—B. M. 31, t. 1280;— Wight, ill. 1, 

 t. 10.) ^■^<(^<s^5i Buro-rukto-kumbul. 2|. Both Peninsulas of 

 India, Bengal, (Serampore). Fl. large, intensely red, — H. and R. 

 S.,— fr. R. S. 



i3. rosea. (Roxb. I. c.,—B. M. 33. t. 1364.) Cft^?t^:^oJ chho- 

 to-rukto-kumbul. ^. Bengal, (Serampore.) Fl. large, rose- 

 coloured, — H. and R. S., — fr. R. S. 



3. versicolor, Roxb. (Fl. ind. 2, p. 577 ;— DC. I. c.,—B. M. 29, 

 t. 1189.) ^^5^fi( Buro-svndhi. 2|. Bengal, (Serampore), &c. Fl. 

 large, rose-coloured, or bluish white, — H. and R. S., — fr. R. S. 



p. alba. Bengal, (Serampore). Fl. white. 



4. edulis, (DC. pr. I. c. — N. esculenta, Roxb. fl. ind. 2, p. 578.) 

 C^t^wffSf Chhoto-sundhi. 2f. Bengal, (Serampore), &c. Fl. large, 

 white, — H. and R. S., — fr. R. S. The underground stems (roots) es- 

 pecially of this, but also of the other species, are much sought after 

 by the Natives, both as an article of food and medicine. The capsules 

 and seeds are either pickled, or made up with their curries, or ground 

 and mixed with flour to make cakes. (Roxb.) 



