WATER-LILY FAMILY 



From the reek of the pond the lily 



Has risen in raiment white, 



A spirit of air and water, 



A form of incarnate light. 



Yet, except for the rooted stem 



That steadies her diadem; 



Except for the earth she is nourished by, 



Could the soul of the lily have climbed to the sky? 



— Lucy Larcom. 



Very generally throughout the Northern States in certain elect 

 places, where the under soil is rich, the water smooth and not 

 ^eep, preferably the borders of lakes and the slack water of rivers, 

 this water nymph finds her home. The great leaves have floated 

 since May; in early June the buds began to appear, making their 

 way to the surface on petioles adjusted to the water's depth; and 

 at length when summer days are long and warm, the buds open 

 and the many-petalled cups of snow appear, so perfect in form, so 

 delicate in texture, so spotless, so fragrant, that one stands charmed 

 by their exquisite beauty. 



■ Every radiant floating cup is an anchored boat that rises and 

 falls with the undulating flow of the water. The petioles — strong, 

 hollow tubes — are equipped to bear the stress and pull of mud and 

 wave and they hold their own bravely. The life of the blossom is 

 about three days, opening in the morning and closing at night. 

 Afterward the petiole begins to curve and coil and finally pulls 

 the seed-pod with the remnants of the petals beneath the water, 

 where it ripens, dropping the seeds on the water floor. 



In our present water-gardens are assembled Nympha;as from 

 all parts of the world, varying in size from the enormous Victdria 

 rigia of the Amazon to the tiny odorala minor of the gardens. 

 In color they run through a wondrous scale of white, cream, yel- 

 low, pink, lavender, blue, scarlet, and crimson. They appear 

 ~both in types and in hybrids, but always and ever, great or 

 small, tender or hardy, blooming by day or blooming by 

 night, they possess a share of the same incomparable grace 

 and exquisite beauty of our own delightful Water-Lily, Nymphcea 

 odorata. 



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