WATER-LILY FAMILY 



abundantly in a few chosen places; among these the marshes of 

 Sandusky Bay, on the southern shore of Lake Erie, are well known. 

 The species is most abundant along the line of the Great Lakes 

 and is believed to.have been disseminated by the Indians. 



The blossom is large, eight to ten inches across, the sepals 

 are yellow-green, and the petals change from the greenish-yellow 





Nelumbium. NelAmbium indica 



of the outer row to the deep-cream of the inner rows. Each top- 

 shaped receptacle bears usually more than a dozen ripened nuts. 

 The wild ducks know the home of Nelumbium and eagerly seek 

 the acorns — the meat is very rich. 



Unlike the water-lilies, the blossoms and leaves of Nelumbium 

 stand well out of the water; the fruit ripens at the summit of an 

 upright stem; and when the receptacle dries the nuts shake out 

 of their little cases into the water beneath. 



154 



