128 WATER-LILIES 



results. It is the most massive in flower and 

 foliage of all the true water-lihes. 



THE BEST RED LILY 



Of a darker shade than either of the pre- 

 ceding, though a parent of both, is Nymphcsa 

 Devoniensis. This again has flowers of the 

 largest size, but of a pure red colour. The 

 petals are ovate, four or five inches long by 

 an inch and a half wide. The flower does 

 not expand so widely as that of Omarana, 

 although it is more open than that of 

 Sturtevantii. Devoniensis is a mostly sterile 

 hybrid, and is a very free bloomer. The 

 plant gives rise during the summer to a num- 

 ber of lateral crowns. When several of these 

 get started, a single plant may cover two 

 hundred square feet of pond, and may have 

 as many as thirty-six flowers and buds visible 

 at one time! Under these conditions the leaves 

 are badly crowded, and the flowers are under 

 size, but the effect is superbly rich. When 

 the leaves first come up they are dark red. 



