148 



FLORA AND SYLVA. 



garden varieties raised of late years and 

 recently classified as follows : — 



The White Lotus (Nymphcea Lotus). — 

 The well-known plant held sacred by the 

 ancient Egyptians, celebrated in poetry and 

 romance from the earliest ages,and common in 

 warm countries. It has rounded leaves of dark 

 glossy green, often measuring 20 inches across, 

 with large white flowers suffused with light 

 pink on the broad outer petals, with a central 

 cluster of many yellow stamens. The flowers 

 open in the evening and close in the forenoon 

 of the following day. There are two natural 

 forms of this: dentata, the largest and best of 

 white night-flowering Lilies, with flowers of 

 8 to 12 inches, opening very flat and remain- 

 ing open till much later in the day; the petals 

 are narrower and the dark green leaves deeply 

 toothed. Central and western Africa. The 

 second form, pubescens, is a native of I ndia, with 

 leaves hairy beneath and flowers tinged with 

 pink. 



Varieties. — Being free of seed and readily 

 crossed, there are several garden varieties of 

 N. Lotus and its forms, the best of which are: 

 'Jubilee, with petals of glistening white save 

 a slight pink flush at the base, and 6 or 8 inches 

 across; leaves blotched with brown and crum- 

 pled towards their margin. Smithiana, a cross 

 between the White Lotus and its term dentata, 

 with broad petals a little deeper in colour, 

 showy yellow stamens, and leaves quite flat. 

 Delicatissima, 2. cross between dentata and N. 

 rubra and nearest the first in character, with 

 flowers of light pink and leaves slightly crum- 

 pled. Deaniana, a vigorous hybrid of the same 

 parents but more distinct and of a deeper rose- 

 pink, with broad petals and red stamens; leaves 

 bronze-green and much crumpled. Lcelia, a 

 plant of mixed origin, with flowers white or 

 nearly so, and leaves of bright fresh green; La- 

 lia color ans, smaller flowers shaded with pink. 

 Eastonensis, also a cross between hybrids, has 

 white flowers and dark, bronzed foliage. 



Crimson Lotus (N. rubra). — This Indian 

 kind is only distinguished from the var. pu- 

 bescens of N. Lotus by its flowers of deep pur- 

 plish red, 8 to 10 inches wide, with brownish- 

 red stamens, and by its never opening out quite 

 flat. The two kinds run together in colour, 

 and are perhaps only forms of one species. 



Varieties. — -The garden varieties of N. rubra 

 are also numerous and differ so far as to be 

 grouped into several classes, but for garden 

 purposes the distinction is unnecessary. Colum- 

 biana, a chance seedling raised about ten years 

 ago, with deep red flowers of medium size, and 

 dark bronzy-red foliage. Diana^ cross between 

 plants of the two great eastern and western 

 groups, with flowers of bright magenta-crim- 

 son and leaves of deep olive-brown ; Diana 

 grandijlora is larger and of deeper crimson. 

 Devoniensis, an English cross between Ns. Lotus 

 zndrubra and the first hybrid raised, is perhaps 

 the kind best known in gardens. Large flowers 

 of pure red, opening from 8 p.m. to 1 p.m. 

 next day, and big flat leaves, hairy beneath; 

 raised at Chatsworth in 1851. Boucheana, a 

 plant of the same parentage but a shade lighter 

 in colour. A third kind, Ortgesiano rubra,with 

 dark red flowers, is almost indistinguishable 

 from Devoniensis. Frank Trelease is also very 

 similar in form, with rich dark crimson flowers 

 and smaller leaves of deep bronze-red colour. 

 0" Mar ana, coming from N. Lotus crossed with 

 a hybrid, bears leaves of bronze-green with 

 margins irregularly crumpled, and pinkish-red 

 flowers of large size with a pale streak up the 

 centre of each petal and orange-coloured sta- 

 mens; free and robust. The variety George Hus- 

 ter approaches this and is often described as an 

 improved form. Arnoldiana, though similar, 

 is much smaller, with leaves and petals crum- 

 pled, having as parents Ns. dentata and rubra. 

 Niobe, a cross of uncertain origin, bears flowers 

 of bright carmine with leaves waved and 

 toothed at the edge. A rare hybrid, said to 

 have disappeared from British gardens at least, 

 is N. Kewensis, coming from dentata and De- 

 voniensis, with light pink flowers and bronzed 

 foliage. A chance seedling of Devoniensis gave 

 N. Sturtevantii, a plant with broad, much crum- 

 pled leaves of light bronze-green,and large very 

 double flowers of pink, shading to red, broad 

 in petal, with stamens of orange-brown. A 

 massive flower of great beauty, varying much 

 in shade of leaf and flower, which should be 

 started early and richly fed ; Rubicunda, a cross 

 between this and N. Lotus, bears smaller flowers 

 of deep pink. 



Of the second Or American group of night- 

 flowering Water Lilies little is known, but their 

 garden value is probably not great. The best 



