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CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE AQUARIUM. 
I 
Aquatics of our native lakes and rivers, streams and ditches ; for I am under the impression that the 
time is not very far distant when the rich aquatic Flora of our land shall furnish the gardener, and 
especially the landscape gardener, with many valuable cultivated beauties as yet uncared for. 
The lamentable death of Dr. M'Fadyen, well known for his botanical researches, and author of the 
Flora of Jamaica has particularly called my attention at the present time to the Nelumbiumjamaicense, 
D C, the Water Bean of Jamaica, with which his name is inseparably associated, as it is almost entirely 
to his labours that we are indebted for a knowledge of this remarkable plant ; and while lamenting the 
loss of so accomplished a botanist and so useful a man, some account of his researches in connection with 
this plant may not be unacceptable.* 
Although the Water Bean of Jamaica was originally discovered by Dr. Patrick Browne in the 
island whence it derives its name, so long ago as the middle of the eighteenth century, it is only within 
the last few years that botanists have been able to add any new facts concerning the plant to those first 
recorded by its discoverer in his Civil and Natural History of Jamaica, published in London in 1789. 
His brief and imperfect description has therefore been generally quoted hitherto in systematic works. 
Although this remarkable plant is stated by Browne to have been pretty common in the lagoons, while 
he was residing in Jamaica, growing in " loose boggy ground, where the leaves may stand in open air, 
while the roots and lower part of the stems are plentifully supplied with moisture," yet it would appear' 
to have decreased in frequency since : only on this supposition can we account for so conspicuous an 
object having so long eluded the keen eyes of the many excellent botanists who have subsequently 
engaged themselves in investigating the natural history of that productive island. It is now well 
known that the Xelumbium speciosum has entirely disappeared from the Nile, where it used to abound ; 
and it would be interesting to ascertain the extent to which the Water Bean has decreased in Jamaica, 
if it has decreased at all. Aquatic plants are peculiarly liable to such changes, their- frequency being 
in so great a measure dependent upon the nature of the country they inhabit. It would be easy to 
explain the partial disappearance of our native Water Lilies (were such to occur) on reference to the 
great extent to which draining has been carried of late years in rural improvement ; but some other 
reason must be sought to account for the disappearance of the Nelumbium speciosum from the Nile, and 
N. jamaicense from the lagoons of Jamaica. Can it be that this family of colossal plants is slowly 
but gradually disappearing from the earth's Flora ? In truth they remind one of those gigantic 
forms of animal life which geology has discovered to us in the stony records of the world's former history. 
The Nelumbium jamaicense was unexpectedly rediscovered early in August 1847 (?) by James 
Dundas, Esq., a resident in the island, while engaged in carrying through some improvement connected 
with the drainage of land in the vicinity of a lagoon. This gentleman communicated specimens to 1 >r. 
M'Fadyen, who, being thus enabled fully to investigate the plant's history, gave an elaborate and 
interesting description, illustrated by coloured drawings from the pencil of his associate, Dr. G. M'Nab. 
To that memoir, containing all that is known respecting the plant, we have to express our obligations 
in preparing the present notice of its history. 
The submerged horizontal stem or rhizome is cylindrical, white, and one-third of an inch in diameter, 
each articulation sending up a leaf and flower sialic "as a pair," and producing from the origin of the 
|m (dole arid flower-stalk numerous individual radicle fibres, attaining a length of from five to six inches, 
with black capillary fibrilhe, which penetrate into the black sedimentary mud in which the plant 
grows. Thi' rhizome is stated to exhibit, when divided transversely, "seven parallel tubular canals, 
encircling a smaller one in the centre, surrounded by cellular structure," the flower-stalk likewise 
displaying in a transverse section seven similar canals, and a smaller one in the centre, while the leaf- 
stalk exhibits only four such longitudin d tubes or canals connected by cellular structure. The leaves 
are orbicular and narrow, and measure about two feet in diameter when fully expanded. The 
cj lindrical ongulose petiole, which is situate exactly in the centre of the leaf, Boon elongates, < ventually 
reaching to the length of from six to eight feet (one-third being under the water and blanched), while 
the leaf itself increases in size, and becomes depressed in the centre, assuming a figure which is aptly 
compared by M'l'adyen to a Chinese hat reversed. The leaves Ore entire, smooth on the surface, of a 
"deep glaurcscent green," paler beneath, furnished with numerous (about twenty-two) radiating nerves, 
which give origin to a series of secondary veins. The flower is yellow, and measures about nine inches 
across; it rises upon a stalk which, continuing to elongate during the maturation of the seeds, exceeds 
• Dr. M'Kiutvrn's death is thus announced by the Jamaica correspondent <»f The ZVm<w;— "Dr. M'Fudycn of Kingston, one of 
the most skilful and experienced practitioners, and one above ill others whodevoted iii- skill and time in relieving tin- distresses ol tho 
poor, his Lately died, it is wife and daughter were pi iced in such .i situation as to be an iblc to attend upon him, and 1 hear be died 
from neglect. Not a soul would reliovo his sufferings or administer to his wants, lers, when they visited 
him. Of thoso for whom he did bo much, not one returned to act the port of nurse. His death ■-■> dark blot on tin' character of the 
in grocs." 
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