WATER-LILIES 
rootstocks, large flat, floating leaves, and large white, red, or blue 
solitary flowers. There are four sepals, many petals, the inner series 
passing gradually into stamens. Carpels many, sunk into the fleshy 
disk, and so forming a many-celled ovary. After fertilisation this is 
withdrawn under water to ripen. There are about twenty species, 
natives of the temperate and tropical regions, excepting New Zealand 
and the Isles of Pacific; one British. 
History The history of the cultivation of exotic Water-lilies 
in this country is no very ancient story, the year 1786 
appearing to be that in which N. odorata was introduced from North 
America; and in 1792 N. scutifolia, from the Cape of Good Hope, made us 
acquainted with something quite fresh, in the shape of a Water-lily with 
bright blue flowers. In the same year another blue member of the same 
genus was introduced from Egypt, under the name of N. ccerulea, but this 
afterwards proved to be N. stellata. It was not until 1802 that the 
white form of N. lotus, the flower that the ancient Egyptians dedicated 
to Isis, was introduced from Egypt; and when a year later the red form 
was brought to England, it was thought to be a different species, and 
was named N. rubra. Several of the exotics are plants from tropical 
regions, requiring “ stove ” treatment; and as the establishments posses¬ 
sing large tanks in their stove-houses are not very numerous, these species 
can hardly be said to be in general cultivation. 
Principal Species Our own solitary native species is very frequently 
' cultivated where there is a lake or pond. This is Nymphcm 
alba (white), with scentless white flowers, 4 to 6 inches in diameter, 
floating on the water. The four sepals are white inside, and green 
on the back, narrow-oblong. There are two or three rows of petals, 
varying in number from fifteen to twenty-four. The large floating 
leaves (5 to 10 inches across) are round heart-shaped, with entire margins 
and smooth surface. There is a pretty variety (rosea) with pale rose 
petals. Like all the other species of the genus this is a summer bloomer. 
N. ELEGANS (elegant) is a fragrant stove subject from New Mexico 
(1850), with yellowish flowers tinged with purple, and of similar 
proportions to N. alba, though the leaves are smaller. 
N. GIGANTEA (gigantic) has blue flowers, 6 to 7 inches across, with 
numerous golden-yellow stamens. The leaves are round, dark green, with 
the leaf-stalk attached to the centre of the under side ('peltate). It was intro¬ 
duced from Australia in 1852, and requires stove or greenhouse treatment. 
N. LOTUS (Egyptian name). The type has large, pink-tinged, white 
flowers, the sepals with red margins, the outer series of- stamens with 
petal-like filaments; the floating leaves toothed, veins prominent on under 
