3 
R. Caspary Feb. 10, I865 
Authors, who probably describe dried naterial'^ do not mention the 
color of the various parts, .or, their descriptions are generally 
too Short. When certain Liters. e,g. Darlington ( Fl.Austria) Uiton 
name the petals •♦yellow'',I interpreted this,that they give the co-^ 
lor incomplete,because I saw then in fresh state only yellox^. No - 
thinp: is nore common than incomplete designation of colors,.Thus 
the petals of Nymphaea stellata ( ) are always descri- 
beri as blue. They are never blue, exactly speaking, because their b^^se 
is always whitish or yellowish. It is thus easily explained,,, that 
I' expressed myself about the color of the petals and stamens of 
Nuphar advena as I did, It is the more interesting|:o hear frora- 
you - and you are the^irstj^redible man, who has examined the problenr 
completely,as I believe -that you have seen red-spotted petals (also 
stamens ?1 . I want to ask you very much,to take this point in as ma- 
ny localities as possible into view^and examine, and to give me in- 
formation about it.. But still one more large request ! 
You probably have also Nymphaea odorata Ait^n numbers.. I did= 
examine Nymphaea odorata alive and posess material in alcohol^and 
received now seeds from Ida Agassiz, , which ^rerminate beautif ulljr.but 
I can not determine varieties from the plants.What others assiprn as 
variety characters :-Smallness (var. minor) is not Justified to form^ 
a variety; . Small plants become always quite larn-e ones in rieh soil^ 
according to my experience, though not the larerest.. As criterion^ 
for varieties are to be considered 1) morphological conditions,- 
such as the form of fruit especially, of the leaf. etc.. 2) physio- 
logical characteristics as: size of degree of opening, . color and 
such..I permit myself to ask you stronglyv to look in your area^,if 
real 
you can not f ind/dif f erences in the form of fruit, the form of the 
leal/for the determination of varieties of Nymphaea odorata , 
6 7 8 9 10 M,s. 
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