290 Water Lily. 



perceived. The number of stamens is about fifty ; but it i 8 

 not fixed nor indeed easily ascertained. The ovary is in a 

 curious state ; instead of being altogether free or altogether 

 united with the calyx, it has the lower floral leaves free from 

 it, and the upper united with it, so that the anther-bearing 

 petals or stamens grow from just below the stigmas. It has 

 ten or eleven cells, the partitions of which are covered all over 

 with oval and the same number of orange yellow stigmas 

 which spread away from the centre like the rays of a poppy 

 head, to which they bear no resemblance. As the leaves and 

 stems afford no satisfactory evidence of its being an Exogenor 

 Endogen ; we ascertain that fact from the manifest tendency 

 of the number five in the flowers of this plant. Had the 

 tendency been to four, the evidence would still have been 

 inconclusive, for four does sometimes occur in flowers of Endo- 

 gens, but five never. Without searching farther it might 

 confidently be affirmed a polypelous Exogen ; a conclusion 

 confirmed by the seed which is a little dicotyledonous body 

 lying in a bag on the outside of a quantity of farinaceous 

 albumen. This plant has a curious conservatory provided for 

 it by nature, without which it could not exist in our cold 

 climate. It is never found but in deep waters which thus 

 protect it from the severity of the frost. The roots creep 

 through the muddy bottoms of ponds to a considerable ex- 

 tent. They are well known by the black contorted appear- 

 ance they present ; being about three or four inches in diame- 

 ter. From these roots spring directly both the stalks of the 

 leaves and flowers. The length of each varies with the depth 

 of water from one foot to five or six, or even ten or sixteen ; 

 and both are perforated throughout by long tubes, which, con- 

 taining air, serve to float them. The leaves swim on the 

 surface, are nearly round, with a sinus extending to the centre, 

 at the termination of which cleft the leaf stalk is inserted in 

 the manner of a shield ; on each side, the lobes are produced to 

 acute points. The upper surface is a bright and glossy green, 

 in this all the pores are situated j the lower surface some- 

 what redish, having a multitude of radiating veins. 



It has been remarked as one of the most noted examples of 

 these plants which dedicate their beauty to the sun as its bios- 



