yict] 



Cijc {feasurj? af 2Sctaug. 



1214 



In an unripe condition they are served up 

 at our own tables. 



V. sativa is the Tare or "Vetch of our 

 farmers, and is extensively grown as fodder 

 for cattle. It is distinguished from most 

 of the species growing in this country, 

 either wild or cultivated, by its sessile 

 solitary rarely twin flowers, and by its 

 smooth seeds. V. angustifolia and V. Bo- 

 bartii are merely narrow-leaved varieties 

 of it. Several species besides the last- 

 named are natives of this country. One 

 of the commonest and most beautiful is V. 

 Cracca, the Tufted Vetch, which has narrow 

 I tendril-bearing leaves, entire stipules, and 

 ! stalked clusters of blue flowers. V. sylva- 

 tica is not so common ; its flowers are 

 white or pink, and streaked with purple 

 veins. V. Orobus is an erect plant with- 

 out tendrils, bearing flowers in stalked 

 clusters. The other species growing wild 

 in this country are less common. See also 

 Ervum. [M. T. MJ 



VICTORIA. This truly royal genus of 

 the NymplueacecB or Waterlily family in- 

 cludes one or (as some think) three species, 

 of the highest interest from their beauty 

 and curious conformation. They are aquatic 

 plants, with thick fleshy rootstocks, mark- 

 ed with the scars of former leaves, and 

 sending upwards numerous long cylin- 

 drical leafstalks, which are traversed in the 

 interior by several air-canals, the larger of 

 them arranged with much regularity, and 

 are thickly covered on the outside by stout 

 conical prickles. These prickles have spi- 

 ral vessels and a small cavity in their in- 

 terior, opening by a little pore at the top. 

 From the under-surface of the base of the 

 leafstalks numerous adventitious roots are 

 given out. The blade of the leaf is peltate, 

 circular in outline, and when fully deve- 

 loped six to twelve feet in diameter, its 

 margin uniformly turned upwards to the 

 extent of two or three inches, so that the 

 leaves when floating have the appearance 

 of so many large shallow trays. The upper 

 surface of the leaf is of a rich green colour, 

 and studded with little boss-like promi- 

 nences. The lower surface is of a deep- 

 purple or violet hue, and traversed by 

 several very prominent nerves, which ra- 

 diate from the centre to the margin of the 

 leaf, and are connected one with another 

 by smaller nerves running transversely, so 

 that the whole of the under-surface is 

 divided by compartments into a number 

 of irregularly quadrangular spaces or cells. 

 The nerves themselves are permeated by 

 air-canals, and covered by strong spines. 

 Thus the enormous leaves are well adapted 

 to float on the water, and the extent of 

 surface exposed is so great, that a con- 

 siderable weight can be supported without 

 submerging them. Even a child of twelve 

 years of age, may be borne up, if the pre- 

 caution be taken of first placing on the 

 leaf a small piece of board, to prevent the 

 feet from tearing and slipping through its 

 substance. 



The flower-stalk has a similar outward ap- 

 pearance to that of the leaf, but is stouter, 



and its air-canals are arranged in a different 

 manner. The flower-bud before expansion 

 is pear-shaped. The calyx is adherent be- 

 low to the ovary, and is here covered with 

 prickles ; its limb, however, is destitute of 

 these appendages, and is divided into four 

 ovate deciduous sepals, of a rich purple 

 tint externally, whitish internally. The 

 petals are very numerous, in several rows, 

 and (as in our common waterlily) exhibit a 

 gradual transition in their form to that of 

 the stamens, so that it is somewhat diffi- 

 cult in all cases to decide where the one 

 set of parts ceases, and the others begin. 

 The outer petals are rather larger than the 

 sepals or lobes of the calyx, oblong concave 

 and white, the inner ones gradually becom- 

 ingnarrower, more pointed, and of a beau- 

 tiful deep' rose-colour. When fully expanded 

 the outer petals are bent downwards, while 

 the central rose-coloured ones, with the 

 stamens, remain erect; and thus a noble 

 appearance is presented, as of a central 

 rose-coloured crown supported by a series 

 of pure white and most gracefully-curved 

 petals. The stamens are numerous, the 

 outer ones somewhat lance-shaped, grace- 

 fully curved, of a fine rose-colour, and hav- 

 ing two linear anther-cells on the inner 

 face, near but not quite extending to the 

 top. Within these fertile stamens are 

 other sterile ones, smaller in size, less 

 | highly-coloured, arching over the stigmas, 

 to which they approximate also in colour 

 and form. The ovary is adherent to the 

 calyx-tube, somewhat globular or top- 

 shaped, its upper portion hollowed like a 

 cup, and presenting in the centre a little 

 rounded or conical knob. Along the upper 

 margin of the cup are placed the stigmas, 

 fleshy pointed bodies, somewhat flattened 

 ] at the sides, and bent in the middle, so 

 that their points project over the cup 

 towards the centre. Each stigma has a 

 prominent line along its upper surface, 

 running down to the central knob, which 

 i is thus the focus of a series of ridges, 

 \ radiating towards the stigmas. The interior 

 i^of the ovary contains numerous cavities 

 | corresponding to the stigmas, and each 

 i containing several ovules. The fruit when 

 ripe is a sort of globular berry, thickly 

 beset with formidable prickles. The seeds 

 escape by the rotting of the outer portions 

 of the fruit. 



These noble plants inhabit the tranquil 

 rivers of South America, especially those 

 which are tributary to the Amazon. They 

 differ in the size of the seeds and other 

 particulars, but when it is remembered 

 how variable aquatic plants are, it is better, 

 I for the present at least, to consider them as 

 I forms of one rather than as distinct species. 

 Generically Victoria is most nearly allied 

 | to Euryale, but it is distinguished by 

 | the deciduous sepals, by the gradual tran- 

 j sition in the form of the petals to that of 

 the stamens, by the more numerous cavi- 

 ties of the ovary, and other particulars. 

 | The leaf of Euryale is, however, an exact 

 J miniature copy of that of the Victoria, save 

 ! that it is not turned up at the margin. 

 | The earliest traveller who discovered this 



