THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
November 28.] 
to tlio family Nymphceaceat. Nearly a mile of water 
was overspread with huge round-margined leaves, among 
which shone, sprinkled here and there, the magnificent 
flowers, white and pink, scenting the air with their delicious 
fragrance. I hastened to load my pirogue with leaves, 
flowers, and fruits. Each leaf, itself as heavy as a man could 
carry, floats on the water by means of the air-cells con¬ 
tained in its thick projecting innumerable nerves, and is 
beset, like the flower-stalks and fruit, with long spines. The 
| ripe fruit is full of roundish black seeds, white and mealy 
I within. When I reached Corrientes, I hastened to make a 
drawing of this lovely Water lily, and to show my prize to 
I the inhabitants; and they informed me that the seed is a 
I valuable article of food, which, being eaten roasted like 
maize, has caused the plant to be called Water-maize (llais 
delAgua). I afterwards heard from an intimate friend of 
M. Bonpland, the companion and fellow-labourer of the fa¬ 
mous Humboldt, that having visited accidentally, eight years 
previously to my visit, a place near the little river called 
ltioehuelo, he had seen from a distance this superb plant, 
and had well-nigh precipitated himself off the raft into the 
river, in his desire to secure specimens, and that M. Bon¬ 
pland had been able to speak of little else for a whole month. 
I was so fortunate, as to get dried leaves, flowers, and fruits, 
and also to put other specimens in spirits ; and about the 
end of 1827, 1 had the delight of sending them, with my 
other botanical and zoological collections, to the Museum of 
Natural History at Baris. Five years afterwards, when 
travelling in Central America, in the country of the wild 
Guarayos, a tribe of Guaranis, or Caribs, I made acquain¬ 
tance with Father La Cueva, a Spanish missionary, a good 
and well informed man, beloved for his patriarchal virtues, 
and one who earnestly devoted himself to the conversion of 
the natives. The traveller, after spending a year among 
Indians, may easily appreciate the pleasure of meeting with 
a human being who can understand and exchange senti¬ 
ments with him; and I eagerly embraced the opportunity of 
conversing with this venerable old man, who had passed 
thirty years of his life among the savages. In one of our 
interviews, he happened to mention the famous botanist 
Htenke, who had been sent by the Spanish government to 
investigate the vegetable productions of Peru, and the fruit 
of whose labours has been unfortunately lost to science. 
Father La Cueva and Htenke were together in a pirogue 
upon the Rio Marnore, one of the great tributaries of the 
Amazon river, when they discovered in the marshes, by the 
side of the stream, this plant which was so surpassingly beau¬ 
tiful and extraordinary, that Htenke, in a transport of admi¬ 
ration, fell on his knees, and expressed aloud his sense of 
the power and magnificence of the Creator in his works. 
They halted, and even encamped, purposely near the spot, 
and quitted it with much reluctance.”’— Lawson's Water 
Lilies, 32-0. 
Various attempts, all more or less abortive, were made 
to introduce the Victoria into our stoves, until the year 
1849. 
“ This time, the seeds were put into phials of pure water, 
! and forwarded per mail to the Kew Gardens by two gentle- 
I men, whose names will long remain on record in connection 
with the Victoria’s history—Hugh Rodie, Esq., M.D., 
and-Luckie, Esq., George Town, Demerara. The first 
arrival of seeds from these gentlemen was in February, 1849. 
These seeds proved quite perfect and fresh ; and three other 
importations, sent at different times, shortly afterwards, all 
arrived safely at Kew in the like good condition. By the 
end of March, six healthy plants had been raised from the 
! seeds first received from Messrs. Rodie and Luckie, and 
] those which afterwards came to hand continued to germinate 
from time to time. More than fifty plants were in all pro- 
I duced, and were in good condition by the latter end of sum- 
I mer. 
“ So soon as the seedlings were in a fit state for safe re- 
| moval, they were liberally distributed to distinguished private 
cultivators and public gardens in various parts of the country. 
It was only in some of the establishments, however, to which 
; it was sent, where accommodation sufficient for the colossal 
Water lily could be provided, and in such only did the plants 
survive. In a few instances, under the most favourable cir- 
123 
cumstances, have the plants been successfully cultivated, and 
produced flowers and fruit. 
“ Among other gardens to which the seedlings of the Vic¬ 
toria were sent, one was received on the 3rd of August, 1849, 
at Chatsworth, the seat of the Duke of Devonshire, long 
celebrated as one of the first horticultural establishments of 
Europe, and of peculiar interest to the botanist and the 
scientific gardener, from the magnificent display of rare 
exotic plants which it at all times contains. Mr. Baxton, 
chief gardener to his Grace, being anxious to afford the Vic¬ 
toria every accommodation, and, if possible, to bring it into 
a flowering condition, immediately prepared a tank, expressly 
for its reception, measuring twelve feet square, wherein it 
was planted on the 10th of August. Although the plant 
was of very limited dimensions when received from Kew, 
having only four leaves, the largest of which measured only 
four inches in diameter, yet it soon increased greatly in size, 
and, by the latter end of September, nineteen leaves were 
formed, the largest measuring three feet six inches across, 
or about eleven feet in circumference. The tank became so 
crowded of leaves, that it was soon necessary to enlarge it 
•to double its original size,to allow of tlio full development of 
the plant; and it was not long before even that was found 
insufficient for the extent of its gigantic foliage. Although 
there were only thirteen leaves, yet the dimensions of each 
measured from four to four feet six inches across, or from 
sixteen to eighteen feet round. It was observed, that al¬ 
though the plant was thriving vigorously, yet the leaves, 
which had always been described by observers of the lily in 
her native waters as curiously turned up in the edges, re¬ 
mained quite flat—an occurrence for which various causes 
have been assigned. Even in this form, however, the foliage 
was very buoyant, although certainly not so much so as 
when fully developed under the suitable natural conditions. 
It is related of the Chatsworth plant, that a young lady en¬ 
joyed a sail on one of the gigantic leaves, a board being 
placed upon it to prevent her feet going through the fragile 
vegetable texture. Thus, as has been remarked, Homer's 
fabulous story of Venus floating on the Water lily leaf might 
be repeated as a practical feat, instead of remaining a merely 
poetical fiction. When tlio plant increased in age, the leaves 
presented a different appearance, and the peculiar turned up 
margins, not observable at first, became evident, so much 
so, that some of the leaves are described as having 1 pre¬ 
sented a perfect rim, like that of a common garden sieve,’ 
although in no instance has this been so remarkable as in 
the wild plant when grown in the American waters. 
“On the 1st of November, 1849, a flower-bud appeared 
upon the Victoria at Chatsworth, indicating a condition of 
advancement beyond what had been attained by any of the 
other plants, at Kew, or elsewhere in England. By this time, 
thirty-one additional leaves had been produced, the largest 
of which measured four feet ten inches in diameter. Some 
of the more vigorous leaves, at particular stages of their 
growth, are recorded to have increased in diameter at the 
remarkable rate of sixteen or eighteen inches in one day. 
On the evening of Thursday, the 8th of the same month, 
between five and eight o’clock, the petals of this flower 
partially opened; but they again closed during sunlight on 
Friday the 9th, and fully expanded the same evening — thus 
rewarding the care, skill, and industry, which Mr. Paxton 
had expended in its culture, by according to him the honour 
of flowering, for the first time in Europe, the most extraor¬ 
dinary and the most beautiful vegetable production of the 
tropics, tlio successful cultivation of which, had baffled the 
skill of the celebrated horticulturists who had previously 
attempted it." 
We have seen this beautiful aquatic, and must confess 
that the flower disappointed us, as little exceeding in 
beauty our own White Water lily; but the leaf certainly 
surpassed our expectation in the novelty of its construc¬ 
tion, to say nothing of its form and size. It belongs to 
the Natural Order Water lilies (Nymplueaceic), and to 
13 -Pohjandria l-Monogynia of Linnaeus.* 
♦ The Rev. R. A. C. will find directions for the cultivation of this and 
all other water plants, under the title Auuatics in the fourth number of 
Tiie Cottage Gardeners’ Dictionary. 
