stigma and thë ientftl 'nectaiy, ) «at.; *0*. W M f c Antherà. Fig. 4. P oM - , ^ ^ C ^ s u l é : and
F it. 6. The same cut through horizontally to show the cells and seeds, nat. size. Fig. 7 .7 . Seeds enveloped m
their arils nat size. Fi*. 8. Seed and its arils cut through horizontally. Fig. 9. 9. Seeds deprived of their
arils nat. size. F i 10. Seed with a portion of the substance at the extremity by width it was Attached to
the arils Fie. 11 .°Seed cut through vertically to show the albumen and. embryo. Fig. 12. Seed cut through
vertically in luch a manner as to show, the chalaza, together with the c a ÿ y m the summit ot the albumen
whence the embryo has been removed. Fig. 13. Embryo with its tunic. Fig. 14. Embryo with its tunic cut
through. Fig. 15-. Tunic being removed, the cotyledons laid open to show the plumule. All but figs, l, a,
5, 6 , 7 . 7. and 9> 9■ more’or; less magnified.
This truly beautiful plant, which may vie with the most splendid^productions of the tropics, is familiàr to every
one, how little soever skilled in scientific botany, as an inhabitant of still pools or every
part of Great Britain.— But it is in the quiet recesses, the little bays and inlets of alpine lakes, that it is seen m
the greatest perfection : , I
•® 1 Thé Water-lily tó the light .
Her chalice rdars of silver bright.
On the bankt of Loch Lomond I have literally beheld acres coveted with this lovely plant, which almost conceals
the water with its large dark green floating leaves, these again forming an admirable; contrast to the pure white of
the blossoms which rise just above them. In Holland perhaps only doeti th eNymphxa *ere called he White
Rose of the waters, occur in greater profusion, where the canals are bordered and almost choked with it for unies)
and its increasing so rapidly as to impede navigation is only prevented by the practice of cutting down the stems
° f Thls^lanrWMSoms'in th em S h s of summer, and the flowers are fully expanded in the middle of t(ie day,
rlosinw in the afternoon, and lying down upon the . water or sinking somewhat below its surface during the night,
whichSlast fact, long reported, has finally been verified by Sir James Smith, notwithstanding that Mr. Salisbury
says that it is an o i l woman’s tale, “ flores vero per noctem sub aqua descendere carlo est fabula anilis.
S July is the time when the Water-lilies are. in the greatest perfection. The capsules ripen under water about the
beginning of October, when the external coat decays away, leaving the cells, which become a pellucid pulpy mass,
Stl Fot riuEg Ime th? ANymphoea was considered to belong to the Mamcolykdoyes, and it was ranked anpng the
Hydrocharidea in that cliss by Jussieu. At length, when the true form or the embryo came to he better understood
it was placed among the Paptmeracex (as indeed Sindh tells us that Linnteus had done in MSS.), and
lastly Mr Salisbury, in an able paper in the 2d volume of Annals of Botany, determines this genus to belong to a
07dèr which hè has denominated Nymphxete, and which he considers should be placedJetween the R»»a»-
mlaccx and Papaveracae of Jossien. Still, however, though the form of the embryo m this order is now sulh-
cienfoTunderstood, there me different opinions as to the real nature of its parts and they have been the suhectof
much disenssion, and have given rise to some admirable plates and analyses in the Anmles du Mustmn d Hu,out
■Naturelle by MM. Mirbel and Richard. I have in my above description adopted the idea of the Jonnor of I
these Naturalists. The excellent Richard takes the following view of the structure of the puit.in qnes.
entire m a t or tunic o f the embryo is by him considered to be the cotyledon ; the whole embryo of
ca the plnmnle (gemonde), and foe end where these two are united, is foe radicle. The p nmole,:hê says, ,s
vided into two thick and flefoy pieces, <• entre lesquelles! est cachée une trois,ème pièce Ovale, lenticulaire, ayant
à l’un de ses bords une espèce de petite dent:’’—this is foe plumule of Mirbel.
According to this idea o f foe structure, the embryo of foe Nymphéa belongs to the Endovluza of Rich, d,
which in geieral correspond with the Momcotyledmue. But the internal organization o f our plant Mnbcl mam-
tains as well as the structure o f the embryo, accords with thé Dicotyleaoiiyx. | I , I ■, , *
This is foe Non®««, of Theophrastus and Dioscorides,- so called from the species inhabiting watery places, as tk
Nymphs were summed to do. Salisbury, considering foe Yellow Water-lily to be the Non®««, of Theophrastus, I
has confined the term Nymphxa to that family, and calls our present genus Caetaha.— vide Annals of Botany.
Themodern inhabitants of Zante, Sir James Smith informs ns, give this plant foe name of
Waterboord Very similar to fois species in the flower, but differing from .t in the toofoed leaves is f o e l t o f a
Xotus ^the Lotus of foe Egyptians, by which people, as well as by foe natives,of India, it is held so sacieil that
f o o S .m w e ,° “ ee„ to p ü > fo em iv e s on eitoriugfoe study o f Sir William Ju ne,^hereaflo w ^ ^ |
The seeds as well as the roots are said to be eaten
l question. The
I of Mirbel he
feed upon the latter in
j be lyin i' those countries.
_______ ________ J where' it grows in v d
said to be fond of the roots of the White Wai
lily greafplenty.: but other animals refuse them. They l j | _ t o d è "ami foYura to'gièï a dark chcsnnt fly
From the leaves and flowers, Sturm in his Deutschland Flora assures
able drink.
ind in Jura to give chesnut d
that the Turkish ladies prepare an agree