TENDER DAY BLOOMING WATER-LILIES 1 15 



use. The perfect plant is so stately, so 

 noble, that it is worth much effort and risk. 



THE ONE POPULAR WHITE 



Of blues and whites we may have a con- 

 siderable assortment, inside the present 

 group. N. flavo-virens (commonly cata- 

 logued in America as N. gracilis), already 

 mentioned, is the only well-known white. Its 

 flowers are borne on tall, slender stalks. The 

 petals open quite widely, and are arranged 

 in a graceful star form. The very sweet- 

 scented flower opens on three successive days 

 from early morning until 5 or 6 p. m. The 

 petals are narrow and pointed, and of a dull 

 rather than a snowy whiteness. The leaves 

 reach a diameter of eighteen to twenty inches, 

 and are bright green on both sides. While 

 this is not a showy species, it is graceful and 

 pleasing. 



It is very easily increased, either by seeds 

 or tubers. In the fall the main stem, as big 

 as one's fist, or bigger, hardens and ripens 



