ous petals of a rose colour remain closed up ; but those very soon assume an erect position, spreading 
on all sides at the summit, so as to form a rose-coloured crown surrounding the essential organs, the 
yellow colour of the stamens then becoming visible in the interior. About ten P.M. the same night it 
closes permanently, and sinks below the water to ripen its seeds. The stamens are in about thi-ee 
circles, large, subulate, incurved below ; anther-cells double, linear, introrse, occupjong the inner face 
of the filament below the apes. V/ithin the fertile stamens the torus is prolonged inwards for about 
half an inch, forming an arch over the stigmas, and beai'ing on its margin a circle of somewhat 
recurved, fleshy, liorn-like bodies. Pollen apparently with a single coat. Ovary adherent to the 
whole length of the prickly tube of the calyx, and thus tui'binate like it, with a deep radiated 
depression or cavity at the top, and in the centre a small conical beak or column ; it may therefore be 
called cup-shaped, with a thick fleshy base, having air-cells extending down into the peduncle ; in 
this fleshy substance are contained twenty-six to thirty compressed cells, arranged at first in a 
very regular circle near the rim of the cup ; as the ovules enlarge, the cells gradually come to occupy 
the whole thickness of the germen, and by their mutual pressure are rendered irregular in arrange- 
ment and form ; their parietes consist of a reticulated spongy structure, partially gelatinous, and the 
ovules are attached to the reticulations by short funiculi, the funiculus being turned toward the axis 
of the ovary. The stigmatic surfaces are upon the rays on the top of the ovary. At the ends of 
these rays occur about thirty somewhat scroll-shaped or uniform, spongy, incurved, projecting bodies, 
which were formerly taken for stigmas, but are mere processes from the inside of the vault of the 
torus connected at their bases with the ends of the stigmas ; the circle formed by the points of their 
junction is about three-quarters of an inch below the insertion of the petals and stamens, and within 
the cup formed by the torus and calyx tube. The seeds are rather large, imbedded in the spongy 
placentas, with a hoi'ny testa, yellowish when young, and brownish or black afterwards, with 
copious albumen. — A. H. 
History, c&c. — The Victoria inhabits the still waters of all the great rivers of the South American 
continent, which flow into the Atlantic Ocean : such as the tributaries of the Amazon, the La Plata, 
the Essequibo, &c. The rapid movement of the streams flowing into the Pacific has been suggested, 
by Sir W. J. Hooker, as the probable reason why (as appears to be the case) it is absent ft-om them. 
The fii'st discovery of this Koyal Water Lily attaches to Hasnke, who found it, in Bolivia, about 
the year 1801. Bonpland, the companion of Humboldt, in his South American travels, met with it 
in the same country, some time afterwards. D'Orbigny found it in Paraguay, in 1827 ; and also met 
with it (1832) in Bolivia, where it has again more recently been found by Bridges. In the same year 
(1832), Poppig found it in the country of the Amazons. Sir B. Schombm-gk (by whom it was fii'st 
especially brought into notice in England, through a drawing and communication jiresented to the 
London Botanical Society) found it, in 1837, in British Guiana, and more recently (1842) in one of 
the tributaries of the Essequibo. His account of the incidents of its discovery, though often quoted, is 
so graphic, that we must here introduce a passage or two of it. 
" It was on the 1st of January, 1837, while contending with the difficulties that Nature interposed, 
in different forms, to stem our progress up the river Bcrbice [British Giuana], that we arrived at a part 
where the river expanded, and formed a currentlcss basin. Some object on the southern extremity of 
this basin attracted my attention, and I was unable to form an idea what it could be ; but, animating 
the crew to increase the rate of their paddling, we soon came opposite the object which had raised 
my cm-iosity, and — behold, a vegetable wonder ! All calamities were forgotten : I was a botanist, 
and felt myself rewarded ! There were gigantic leaves, five to six feet across, flat, with a broad rim, 
light green above, and vivid crimson below, floating upon the water. Quite in character with the 
wonderful foliage, were the luxuriant flowers, each consisting of many hundred petals, passing in 
alternate tints, from pure white to rose and pink. The smooth water was covered with the blossoms; 
and as I rowed from one to the other, I always found something new to admii-e. . , . The young 
leaf is convolute, and expands but slowly. The prickly stem ascends with the young leaf till it has 
reached the surface ; by the time it has developed, its own weight depresses the stem, and it floats on 
the water. . . . "\^^ien the flower first opens it is white, with pink in the middle, which sjjreads 
over the whole flower the more it advances in age, and it is generally found the next day altogether 
of a pink colour. As if to add to the charm of this noble Water Lily, it is sweet-scented. Like 
others of its tribe, the petals and stamens pass gradually into each other, and many petaloid leaves 
may be observed which have vestiges of an anther. The petals next the calyx-leaves are fleshy, and 
possess air-cells, which must contribute to the buoyancy of the flowers. We met with the plants « 
frequently as we ascended the river, and the higher we advanced the more gigantic they became : we 
measured a leaf which was five feet six inches in diameter; its rim five and a-half inches high; and Q^ 
rii/o o^^r^,!-^ 
^^ 
