NOTES ON THE NEWER OR LESSER KNOWN WATER-LILIES. 305 



For fountains these Lilies should be great acquisitions. So 

 far as I have gone, I have not had an opportunity of testing them 

 in this manner, but I know from the style of growth of the best 

 known varieties that they would be as well, or even better 

 suited than the common white variety itself. The habit of 

 several kinds is more compact with much less vigour than in 

 the species just named. Many of these, too, have positively 

 ornamental foliage, some with reddish leaves, others with tints 

 of bronze, and others being maculated, marbled, or spotted with 

 red and bronze on a green ground. Each variety, as seen in its 

 full vigour, stands out in nearly every case quite distinct, and 

 may often be recognised by its foliage alone. Some varieties 

 possess a much better habit than others, being more disposed to 

 make back breaks ; thus they are propagated more readily. 

 Those which do not do this may be severed, or notched, to 

 induce them to form back growths, as in the case of some 

 Orchids. Some kinds form a perfectly circular mass of foliage, 

 producing a beautiful effect upon the water in this way alone. 

 N. Robinsonij N. Seigneur Eti, and N. iucida are all cases in 

 point. 



Pebiod of Flowering. 

 I have only taken notes of this during the past two springs. 

 Last year I noted the two earliest to flower were N. alba-rosea 

 and N. Laydekeri rosea : these opened their first flowers on 

 May 31 and the following day, there being no practical difference 

 between the two. This year the first to open its flowers was 

 N. Ellisiana, on June 2, whilst those aforenamed were about 

 three days later. Mr. Bennett-Poe informed me that he noted 

 his first blooms were open on or about June 5 this year, so there 

 was scarcely any difference between us in point of earliness. I 

 can see that other new kinds are promising to flower early. 

 N. Aurora and N. Andreana are both instances of this. N. 

 odorata and its forms are, most of them, later by ten days or a 

 fortnight, whilst in the case of A 7 , odorata sulphurea it is fully 

 a month later ; but the latter, when it does flower, is so very 

 distinct. N. odorata sulphurea is to the Water-lilies what a 

 good form of the Cactus Dahlia is to the Show varieties : 

 its narrow-pointed petals make it quite a distinct feature. 

 With me N. alba (our Common White) has not opened a 

 single flower until fully fourteen days later than the earliest of 



