TENDER DAY BLOOMING WATER-LILIES 1 13 



is native to India, Indo-China, and the 

 Philippines. 



THE LONGEST ENDURING — GIGANTEA 



If for massive, dazzling splendour the Zan- 

 zibar water-lily deserves kingly praise, cer- 

 tainly the giant lily {NymphcBa gigantea) is 

 the queen of water-lilies. Its flower is a 

 huge, airy head of soft azure blue, with a 

 centre of purest gold. The original speci- 

 men in the Kew herbarium is twelve inches 

 across. The blossoms are borne a foot and 

 a half above the water, on slender green 

 stalks, slightly bending with the weight they 

 carry. It is open on five to seven successive 

 days from 8 or 9 a. m. until twilight; it is 

 therefore of much longer duration than any 

 other species. The petals are twenty to 

 fifty in number, broad and rounded, and of 

 a slightly crinkled texture, like crepe. The 

 colour shades from a deep blue at the point of 

 the petal to a very pale blue at the base. The 

 tints are exquisitely chaste and pure; the 



