PITCHES-PLANT FAMILY. 47 



peduncles, bearing very large (lo-2° wide) and more or less dish-shaped or 



cup-shaped centrally-peltate entire leaves, and great flowers (5' -10' broad), 



in summer. Seeds, also the tubers, eatable. 



N. Itlteum, Yellow N. or "Water Chinquepin. Common W. & S. : 

 introduced, by Indians perhaps, at Sodus Bay, N. Y., Lyme, Conn., and below 

 Philadelphia. Flower iale dull yellow : anther hook-tipped. 



. N. speeidsum. Showy N., Lotus or Sacked Bean of India, with 

 pmkish flowers and blunter anthers : cult, in choice conservatories. 



3. NYMPH^A, "WATER-LILY, POND-LILY. (Dedicated to the 

 Water-Nymphs.) Long prostrate rootstocks, often as thick as one's arm, 

 send up floating leaves (rounded and with a narrow cleft nearly or quite to 

 the petiole) and lar^e handsome flowers, produced all summer : these close in 

 the afternoon : the fruit ripens under water. 



N. odor&ta. Sweet-scented White W. Common in still or slow 

 water, especially E. Flower richly sweet-scented, white, or sometimes pinkish, 

 rarely pink-red, variable in size, as are the leaves ; seeds oblong. 



N. tuberbsa,- Tuber-bearing "W. Common through the Great Lakes, 

 and W. & S. Flower nearly scentless (its faint odor hke that of apples), 

 pure white, usually larger (4' - 9' in diameter), as are also the leaves (8' - 15' 

 wide) ; petals broader and blunter; seeds almost globular; rootstock bearing 

 copious tubers like " artichokes," attached by a narrow neck and spontaneously 

 separating. 



jSr. CEerMea, Blue W., of Egypt, &c., cult, in aquaria ; a tender species, 

 with crenate-toothed leaves, and blue or bluish sweet-scented flowers, the petals 

 fewer and acute. 



4. NtJPHAB., YELLOW POND-LILY, or SPATTER-DOCK. (Old 

 Greek name. ) Bootstock, &c. as in Nymphsea : leaves often rising out of 

 water : flowers by no means showy, yellow, sometimes purplish-tinged, pro- 

 duced aU summer : fruit ripening above water. 



IT. ^vena is the common species, everywhere ; has 6 unequal sepals or 

 sometimes more ; petals, or what answer to them, truncate, shorter than the 

 stamens and resemWing them ; the thickish leaves rounded or ovate-oblong. 



N. Itlteum, rare N. ; has smaller flowers, with 5 sepals, petals dilated 

 upwards and more conspicuous, and a globular fruit with a narrow neck : 

 the var. ptimiluin, » small variety, has flowers only 1', and leaves l'-5' in 

 diameter ; rather common N. 



N. sagittifblia, Arkow-leaved N., from North Carolina S. ; has sagi^ 

 tate leaves (1° by 2'), and 6 sepals. This and the last produce their earlier 

 leaves under water and very thin. 



7. SARRACENIACE.ffi!, PITCHER-PLANT FAMILY. 



Consists of one South American plant, of the curious Darling- 

 TONIA Calipornica in. the mountains of California, and of the 

 following : — 



1. SARBACENIA. (Named for Dr. iSarrasin of Quebec.) Sidesaddle- 

 Flower, a most unmeaning popular name. Leaves all radical from a per- 

 ennial root, and in the form of hollow tubes or pitchers, winged down the 

 inner side, open at the top, where there is a sort of arching blade or hood. 

 The whole foliage yellowish green or purplish. Scape tall, naked, bearing a 

 single large nodding flower, in early summer. Sepals 5, with 3 bractlets at 

 the base, colored, persistent. Petals 5, fiddle-shaped, incurved over the pel- 

 tate and umbrella-shaped 5-ang!ed petal-like great top to the style. Stamens 

 very numerous. Ovaiy 5-celled. Pod many-seeded, rough-warty. 

 S. purptirea, Purple S. or Pitchek-Plant of the North, where it is 

 common in bogs. Leaves pitcher-shaped, open, with an erect round-heart- 

 shaped hood and a broad side-wing, purple-veiny ; flower deep purple. 



