200 
STOVE AND GREENHOUSE AQUATICS. 
other?, and has bi pinn.tt e leave?, and white 
flowers in July : it is from South America. 
jVT, triquetris (triangular) is from the East 
Indies, grows a foot high, and bears bipinnate 
leaves, and globose heads of white flowers in 
July. These all require stove heat, and be- 
long to Mimoseae, a tribe of the natural order 
Fabacea?. They require loamy soil, a foot 
deep of water, and are propagated by seeds or 
cuttings. 
Nyrrvphcea ( Water Lily). — Of these beau- 
tiful plants there are many species, all peren- 
nials, with large leaves floating on the water, 
and flowers j ust rising above the surface. N. 
scntifolia (shield-leaved) has peltate leaves, 
anl intense blue flowers, produced from July 
to September ; native of the Cape of Good 
Hope. N. ccerulea (blue) has peltate leaves, 
and bright blue flowers, which are produced 
from June to September ; native of the rivers 
of Lower Egypt. N. stellata (starry-flowered) 
has peltate leaves andblueish flowers, produced 
during the summer ; native of Malabar, Coro- 
mandel, and Java. N. cyanea (Indian blue) 
has peltate leaves and blue flowers ; it also 
flowers throughout the summer ; native of the 
East Indies. N. edulis (eatable rooted) has 
oval-peltate leaves, and bears white flowers 
from June to September; native of the East 
Indies. _A T . pubescens (Indian Lotos) has re- 
niform-peltate leaves, and produces white 
flowei-s from May to August ; native of the 
East Indies, Ceylon, Java, and the western 
eoast of Africa. N. rubra (red-flowered) 
has peltate leaves and rich red flowers, which 
are produced in July and August : there is a 
variety of this called rosea, which has pale 
rose-coloured flowers : both are East Indian. 
N. deidata (toothed-leaved) has peltate leaves 
and white flowers, produced in August ; it 
is from Sierra Leone. N. Lotus (Egyptian 
Lotos) has cordate leaves, and produces pinkish 
flowers from June to September ; native of 
Egypt. N. tkermalis (thermal, or Hungarian 
Lotos) has peltate leaves and white flowers, 
which open from June to September ; native 
of Hungary. iV. ampla (ample-leaved) has 
peltate leaves, and white flowers from June to 
September ; native of Jamaica. _ZV". versicolor 
( various coloured) has peltate leaves, and bears 
white flowers, changing to pink, in August ; 
native of the East Indies. JY. blanda (charm- 
ing) has cordate leaves, and bears white 
flowers through the summer ; native of Bri- 
tish Guiana. These plants are regarded as 
stove plants ; they belong to the natural order 
Nympheeacese. They require similar treat- 
ment to the Nelumbiums. 
Oryza sativa (Rice plant), is an erect 
plant, growing four or five feet high, with 
long narrow leaves, and an elegant panicle of 
ineouspieuou- flowers, followed by the heavy 
seeds. A native of the East Indies ; and 
belongs to the natural order Graminaceas. 
They should be sown in a pan or cistern of 
water, with a layer of loamy soil at the 
bottom : propagated by seeds. There are two 
other species. 
Oxalis natans (floating "Wood Sorrel), is a 
pretty dwarf perennial greenhouse plant, 
growing two or three inches high, with leaves 
consisting of three obcordate leaflets, and pro- 
ducing white flowers from September to De- 
cember. A native of the Cape of Good Hope ; 
and belongs to the natural order Oxalidacere. 
They may be grown in small pots filled with 
peaty soil, and immersed in shallow water ; 
increased by division of the roots. 
Papyrus Antiqiiovum (ancient), is a peren- 
nial plant, with erect stems, six to ten feet 
high, clothed at the bottom with hollow sword- 
shaped leaves, and bearing at the top a dense 
umbel of narrow leaves, remarkable for nothing 
but the manner in which they are produced ; 
a native of Ethiopia and Egypt. The ancients 
made their paper from this plant. There are 
some other species : — P. odoratus (sweet- 
scented); P. laxiflorus (loose-flowered) ; and 
P. elerjans (elegant). They belong to the 
natural order Cyperaceas. They require good 
sized pots, rich loamy soil, and shallow water. 
Propagated by seeds or by division. 
Pistia Stratiotes (water-soldier-like Pistia), 
is a stove perennial plant, with curious ob- 
cordate leaves, and bears white flowers towards 
the end of the summer. It is found in various 
localities, but chiefly in the East Indies ; and 
belongs to the natural order Pistiaceas. This 
piant floats on the water without soil : it is 
increased by pulling to pieces, every piece 
producing a plant. 
Parhcria pteroides (Pterisdike Parkeria), 
is an aquatic fern. It is a native of Esse- 
quibo ; and belongs to the natural order 
Polypodiaceae. It should be potted in turfy 
loam and peat, the pots being only just im- 
mersed in w r ater ; propagated by divis : on or 
by seeds. 
Pontedera. — There are several species, all 
stove perennials. P. crassipes (thick petioled), 
has floating cordate-reniform leaves, the pe- 
tioles or stalks of which are remarkably in- 
flated when growing in the water, but not so 
when grown in ordinary soil ; the flowers are 
blue, produced in spikes nearly a foot high, in 
September and October ; a native of Guiana. 
P. azurea (fine blue), grows about the same 
size, and has blue flowers in July and August; 
native of Jamaica. P. dilafata (spreading), 
grows two feet high, has arrow-shaped leaves and 
umbels of blue flowers in May ; a native of the 
East Indies. They are typical of the natural 
order Pontederaceae. They grow when cast 
into water to float, but stronger in rich loamy 
