Oedee 9.— the water LILIES. 



155 



NELUM'BIUM. Nelumbo. 



The character of the genus the same as that of the order. 

 N. luteum. Yellow NeVambo. A magnifioent flowering plant, fr.eqnent in the stag- 

 nant waters- of the South and West, raVe 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. Blowers 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, July. 



Order IX.— NYMPH^AOE^. The Water Lilies. 



. Herbs aquatic, with roundish leaves from a prostrate rhizoma; 

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



into each other, imbricated and arranged in many rows ; -^ 



sepals few, colored inside, persistent ; stigmas radiating and orowning the 

 ovavy, which in fruit becomes a capsule'oompound and 5-oelled ; 



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. NtiIph.21^. 1 



Petals smaller than the sepals, stamen-^ 



like, yellow. Frog Lily. Ntjphar. 





d e 



881 



Fig. 881, Wymphflea odorata: a, the leaf; c, 

 the flower; &, the bud; d, e,f,g, stamens grad- 

 Tially changing into petals; h, a seed cut open, 

 showing the embryo in a little sac. Fig.B%'&^ 

 the many-rayed stigma ; 384, cross-section of the 

 many-celled, ovary. 



