NYMPHAEACEAE 



WATER LILY FAMILY 



YELLOW POND LILY. SPATTERDOCK 



Nuphar advena Ait. f. 



The Water Lily family is composed of water plants, 

 most of which have floating leaves. The famous Victoria 

 regia, which is a native of the Amazon river valley, has 

 gigantic floating leaves almost strong enough 

 to be used as rafts. Some species have very 

 large and beautiful flow- 

 ers and are frequently 

 used as ornamental 

 plants in artificial ponds. 



Probably no water plant 

 is better known than the 

 Yellow Pond Lily, for it is 

 very common in ponds and 

 slow-running streams from 

 Labrador and Nova Scotia 

 to the Rocky mountains, 

 south to Florida, Texas and 

 Utah. It is extremely vari- 

 able, usually three or more 

 forms being found in the same pond, 

 and it is difficult to say at present 

 whether or not we should place them all 

 in one species. In some localities this plant is called Spatterdock, 

 Cow Lily or Frog Lily. 



The stout cylindrical stem creeps upon the bottom of 

 the pond or stream and the leaves grow from it. The float- 

 ing leaves and those above water are 5-12 inches in greatest 

 diameter, thick and with a deep sinus at the base, whereas those 

 that are submerged, when present, are thin and nearly round. 

 The lower surfaces of the leaves, as well as the petioles and flower 

 stalks, are often hairy. 



The flowers are produced all summer and are yellow or 

 purple tinged. The conspicuous floral parts are the sepals, 

 usually 6. The petals are numerous but they are small, fleshy and 

 stamenlike. The stamens, with anthers about as long as the 

 filaments, are also numerous and are arranged in 5-7 rows. The 

 pistils are many but united into a compound structure, and so 

 form I fruit which is a sort of capsule. 



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