170 



ELEMENTARY NOTES ON JAMAICA PLANTS. — III. 



4. — Nrlumbium luteum, Willd. 

 Thi L >tu8 and other Water Lilies. 



In the Bulletin for January, 1897, some general remarks were pub- 

 lished on the native Lotus (Nelumbium luteum) ;— in the present num- 

 ber the notes are botanical. 



Nelumbium, Nymphaea, the Victoria regia, and some other 

 "Water Lilies" are grouped together in one family or order — the Nym- 

 phaeaceae. 



The general characters of the order are as follows: — 



Nymphakaoeae 



Aquatic herbs, with perennial submerged rootstock. 

 Leaves with a long stalk, usually floating. 

 Sepals 4 or 5. 



Petals numerous, all, or the inner oaly,ia3ertei at different heights on a 

 receptacle enclosing the carpels, sometimes all free and hypogyn- 

 ous. 



Stamens numerous, inserted as the petals. 

 Carpels several, free or coherent ; 



Fruit a berry bursting irregularly, or an indehiscent nut. 



The character of the native genera and species may be indicated a* 

 follows: 



Nelumbium. 



Leaves young floating, adult standing out of water (fig. 1.) 

 Flower standing above the water (fig. 1.) 

 Sepals 4 or 5 inferior (fig. 2.) 



Petals and stamens numerous, hypogynous, in several series at the bot- 

 tom of the receptable. (fig. 2.) ; anthers opening inwards, connec- 

 tive produced as an appendage (see figs. 2, 3) beyond the anther- 

 cells. 



Ovaries several, sunk separately in the pits of a fleshy, obconical, flat- 

 topped receptacle (figs. 2 and 4.) ; style short ; stigma terminal, 

 somewhat dilated ; ovules 1 or 2 in each ovary, pendulous. 



Nuts roundish, indehiscent (fig. 5) ; seeds without endosperm, cotyle- 

 dons thick, fleshv, plumule with young leaves well developed 



(ficr. 6.) 



Nymphaea. 



Leaves peltate, floating. 



Flowers white (in native species), floating. 



Sepals 4, inserted almost at base of receptacle. 



Petals numerous, passing gradually from sepals into stamens, inserted 

 with the numerous stamens at different heights on the receptacle 

 surrounding the carpels, the innermost being almost superior. 



Filaments somewhat petal-like, those at the outside broad with small 

 anthers, those on the inside narrow with longer anthers, turned 



