98 



The Flora of Wiltshire. 



South Division. 



1. South-east District, " In the river above Salisbury, at Strat- 

 ford, Durnford, and Woodford," Mr. James Eussey. " Amesbury," 

 Dr. Sbuihby. 



2. South Middle District, Canal and Basins in the neighbourhood 

 of Devizes. " Westbury," Mrs. Overbury. " Heytesbury," Mr. 

 Rowden. 



3. South-west District, " Neighbourhood of Warminster," Mr. 



Wheeler. 



North Division. 



4. North-west District, River Avon at Malmesbury, Christian 

 Malford, Chippenham, Melksham, Whaddon, and Bradford. 



5. North-east District, Canal and Brooks at Swindon, Purton, 

 and Marden. 



More distributed through the Northern than the Southern dis- 

 tricts of Wilts, and according to the majority of our local floras, 

 more frequent in England than "N. alba," (Linn.) while the latter 

 possesses a rather more horizontal area. It differs from the genus 

 " Nymphcea " in the petals and stamens, being inserted into a disk 

 at the base of the germen, not into one which surrounds and ad- 

 heres to the side of it : and the seed vessel when ripe bursts irregu- 

 larly, not dissolving away into a mass of pulp like "N. alba," (Linn.) 

 The flowers are about two inches wide, cupped all over, of a golden 

 yellow, with the scent of brandy or ratifia. Fruit large, smooth, 

 shaped like a bottle or flagon, whence they are called brandy-bot- 

 tles in some places. The white and yellow water lilies may readily 

 be distinguished when not in flower by their leaves. In " N. alba, 

 (Linn.) the leaf is rounded ovate usually purplish beneath, the 

 lobes at the base are almost parallel, and the leaf stalk is cylindri- 

 cal. In "N. lutea" (Sm.) the leaves are ovate pointed, not rounded 

 at the apex, as is the case in those of the white lily : the basal 

 lobes are slightly divergent, and the leaf stalk is angular, especially 

 in the upper part. 



The elegance and chaste beauty of the flowers of the water lily 

 tribe, which float like brilliant gems upon the mirrored surface of 

 the placid waters, have ever caused them to be objects of general 



