Mays de l'Eau may b e easily procured and propagated ; and this useful and beautiful p lan t may become very common, particularly i f th e inhabitants take
much in te re st in its cultivation.
“ In 1835, a t the request o f Mons. Mirbel, Professor o f Horticulture in th e Jardin des Plantes a t P a ris, I s ent him some seeds $ f this plant, as well
as an exact and full description o f th e method o f propaga ting i t a t Pa ris and in th e colony o f A lg e ria ; unfortunately, however, since th a t time
communication has become rare and difficult, and I have heard nothing o f th e package, which likewise contained m a n p b th e r useful objects,
“ In May, 1849, when a t Rio Pardo, on the banks p f |h e Yucay, I was 'ag re è ab lp surprised to see» a ffitiie ladies eq u ip p ed with fans with correct
miniature drawings o f th e Nymphtea, which I described twenty-nine years ¡before. The sight o f the se fans caused me g re a t pleasure, and was th è .source
o f much reflection, reminding me o f the parcel I h ad sen t to- M. Mirbel. I remained in lincertainty o f its fate till September o f th e same year;
when being a t Monte Video, and g in n in g a t the Penny Magazine, I saw a plate o f th e Mays de l'Eau qn a la rge r scale, and mòre A x a c t'th a n th a t son the
fans a t Rio Pardo. Thus, in short; I was relieved from any do u b t as to wheflier I had made th e p lan t known in Europe.
“ I understand th a t this splendid plant, which cannot b e compared to any known one in th e vegetable kingdom, b ears th e n a p e o f Victoria regia.
Ever since then I have been trying to obtain seeds for Africa,, in order th a t y ou may p re sent y o u r country with a p lan t gra c ed with a n ame so deservedly
dear. Though I have assigned the Mays de l’Eau to th e genus Nymp/ued, I almost think i t m ig h t constitute a n ew genus ; and even i f th e description o f
the p lant which I forwarded to F rance should have be en lost or remain unpublished, I y e t possess, among my manuscripts, a duplicate d e s c ription; and
as soon as I have been able to. stu d y i n a fresh s ta te several p articulars o f th e Nymphéa, i t will b e easy for me to determine whether th e Mays de l'Eau
belongs to th e genus Nympluea, or whether i t m ay now fórni' a n ew one.
“ T h e Mays de l ’Eau is so called .because i t b ears fruits filled with an immense; number o f rou n d seeds, containing an amylaceous substance o f
snowy whiteness, substituted occasionally for the grains o f Maize.
“ Tlie farina made from th e Mays de l'Eau is n o t only superior lb th a t o f th e Maize; on account o f its quality, b u t i t is even p referred to th e finest
wheat, and ¿ 0 th e flour o f th e white Cassava, which yields th e b e s t farina o f all th e species o f th a t genus and is considered b e tte r than sago. A t
the time when th e fruits o f th e Mays de l'Eau are fully ripe, th e ladies o f -Gorrientes h a sten to obtain se eds; and to e x tra c t th e flour,, which they carefully
p reserve: with this su b stan c e ,th ey make many kinds o f pastry, b u t particularly croquets, which are so superior to those manufactured o f common
flour, th a t i t is considered a luxury in Corriéntes to have cakes iofr th e farina o f th e Victoria regia.
“ I enquired o f every one whether this p lant w as.cultivated in th e rich gardens o f E ngland : I h a v e o id y ascertained th a t th e pubfic 'joùrnàls^five
months since, mentioned it ; b u t the ir exact contents I have n o t been able to leam.”
Th e n ex t in succession to gather this gigantic Water-Lily is M. D ’Orbigny himself. In 1828, th a t distinguished traveller s ent specimens to
th e Museum o f Natural History, in Paris;» h e h ad .gathered, them in th e . ProsénceAof Corrientes, in a river tributa ry to th e Rio d e la P la ta . “ If,”
says M. D ’Orbigny, “ th e re exist in th e Animal Kingdom, creatures whose size, compared with our own, commands admiration, i f we also gaze with
wonder on th e giants o f th e Vegetable Kingdom, we may well feel an especial pleasure in surveying any peculiarly remarkable species, among those
genera o f plants which We h a d . hitherto known o f only moderate dimensions. I proceed to describe th é sensations Which filled m y m ind when
I first behefd the Victoria Water-Lily:
“ F o r eight months I had been occupied in investigating th e Province o f Corrientes, when, early in 1827, descending th é river P a ranà , I arrived
a t a p a rt o f this majestic stream, where, though still more th an nine h u n d red miles ¡distant from its junction with thë”Rio P la ta , its bre adth nearly attained
a league. T h e . surrounding scenery was in keeping with this stately cu rre n t: all was on a grand and imposing sc a le ; and b e in g myself only
accompanied b y two Guarani In d ian s,11 silently surveyed th e wild ye t lovely view around me, and I must confess ^that amid this watery waste I
longed for some vegetation whereon my eye might rest, and longed in vain.
“ B u t before I reached a place, called th e Arroyo de San José , I observed th a t th e marshes o n ‘either side th e river were bordered w ith a green
and floating surface, and th e Guaranis informed me th a t they called th e p lan t in question Yrupé , literally Water-platter.
“ I ts general aspect reminded me o f th e Nuphar, belonging ."to th e family Nymphteacete. Nearly a mile o f wa te r w as overspread with huge, round,
and curiously margined leaves, among which glittered he re and th e re -th e magnificent white and pin k flowers, scenting th e air with the ir delicious
fragrance. I lost no time in loading my pirogue with leaves; flowers, and fruit. Each leaf, itse lf as heavy as a man could carry, floats on th e water by
means o f th e air-cells contained in its thick projecting innumerable nerves, and is beset, like th e flower-stalks and fruit, with long spines. - T h e ripe
fruit is lull o f roundish black seeds, which are white and mealy within.
“ W h en I reached Corrientes, I hastened to make a drawing o f this lovely Water-Lily, and to show m y p rize to th e inhabitants, and th ey informed
me th a t the seed is a valuable article of* food, and being eaten, roasted like maize, i t h as caused th e p lan t to b e called Water-Maize (Mais del Agua).
I was so fortunate as to g e t dried leaves, flowers, and fruits, and also to p u t other specimens in spirits ; and about th e end o f 1827 I h ad th é d e light of
transmitting them, with my other botanical and zoological collections, to th e Museum o f N a tura l History, a t Paris.” *
Five or six years after th e above incident, M. D ’Orbigny was investigating th e P rovince o f Moxos b y water, this b e ing th e only means o f travelling
V I C T O R IA R E G IA . 7
frem one p a r t o f it to another: • Naturally h is mind recurred to th e Water-Lily o f Corrientes; for he was embarked on th e Rio d e Madeira«, and was on
his Way towards th e source o f th e R io Mamoré, where, according to th e statement o f th e g ood old F a th e r L a Cueva, Hæ nkc had discovered a similar
marvellous production. “ I w as gazing;” h e writes, “ on an immense lak e o f stagnant w ater communicating w ith th e river, when I suddenly observed
a p lant, evidently ¡allied to th e Water-Maize,.of'’Corrientes. Great was m y d e light to perceive th a t this gigantic vegetable, though o f th e same genus,
still differed specifically from th e . one I h ad previously d etected. T h e under-side o f th e foliage and th e crimson sepals were q u ite peculiar. Like Hænke,
I g a the red a perfect ha rve st o f leaves and ¡flowers; b u t subséquent illness, caused b y alternate exposure to th e blazing sun and drenching rain o f these
flooded plains, b rought on such languor and exhaustion, th a t I lost m y specimens d i this second species, and was deprived o f the satisfaction o f carrying
th e p lanL tp Eu ro p e .” *
Dr. P q p p ig comes n e x t to b e noticed. I n his 1leise in CJnle, Peru, un a u f d m Amazonen strime wahrend der Jahre 1827— 1832, we find th e following
sta tement :—While descending th e Amazon River (appa rently in 1832); an d examining th e Igaripés, which are affluents o f th e Amazon River, and which,
though bearing' n o particular appellation, are worthy to rank, from th e ir size, with rivers o f the second magnitude in Europe, he beheld some aquatic
plants, whose almost fabulous dimensions entitle them, h é declares, to vie w ith the celebrated Bafflesia o f India, while they far excel th a t marvellous
produc tion in b eauty o f inflorescence. H e speaks o f this W ater-Lily as E uryale :Amazonica, un d e r which name he had, previously to th e publication o f
his travels; in Froriep’s No tizen j de sc ribed i t as belonging to th e family o f Nymphteacete, “ with wonderfully large leaves, deeply channelled below, and
traversed with veins, b e se t with prickles, the ir width equalliffg six feet, while th e flower is lovely snow-white externally and crimson within, an d m easures
from te n to; eleven inches across. T h is is th e most m agnificent plant; o f its tribe, though far from! common. I only saw i t in one Igaripé, ne a r the
confluence o f th e Tefflé River w ith th e Amazon. T h e flowers appe a r in December and J anua ry. I t is called Mururti.”
A p e riod o f nearly fiv e ^ e a rs elapsed, from Dr. P o p p ig h discovery, .to th e journey undertaken b y Sir R. -H. Schomburgk in the interior o f British
Ginana. From thencè; b e in g in ignorance o f his predecessor’s discoveries ..in oth^r rivers. Sir R obe rt addressed a letter to the Secretary o f the
Geographical Society, o f w hich th e following is a n extract
» “ I tw a s on th e 1st January, 1837,. w hile eotttending with th é difficulties which, in various forms, Nature interposed to ba r our progress up the
Berbice River (lat. 4° 3 0 ' N ., long. 52° W .) th a t w e . reached a spot w here th e river expanded and formed a currentless basin. Something on the other
rid e o f this b asin attra c ted my. attention : I could n o t form an ide a w hat i t m ight b e ; but, urging; th e crew, to increase th e speed o f the ir paddling, we
presently neared! th é object"which h a d roused my curiosity,—and lp4 a vegetable wonder! A ll disasters w ere forgotten;—I was a botanist, and I felt
myself rewarded. There: were gigantic leaves, five to six feet across, flat,, with a de ep rim, light greefi above and vivid crimson below, floating upon the
water ; while, in k e ep in g w ith tins astonishing foliage, I behe ld luxuriant flowers, each, composed o f numerous petals, Which passed in alternate tints from
pu re white to rose and pink. T h e smooth surface o f th e stream was covered .with .the b lossoms; and as I rowed from one to another, I always found
something new to admire. T h e flower-stalk is an inch th ick n e a r th e calyx, and is studded with elastic prickles about-three quarters o f an inch long. When
expanded, th e four-leaved calyx measures a foot a c ross, b u t is concealed b y th e expansion o f th e hundred-petaled corolla. This beautiful flower, when it
first unfolds, is white, with a p in k centre : th e tingé spreads as th e bloom increases in age;; and, a t a d ay old, th e Whole is rose-coloured. As i f to add
to th e charm o f this noble W a te r - lily , i t exhales a sweet spent. A s in th e case o f other flowers o f th e same tribe, th e petals, and stamens pass gradually
into each othe r ; and many p e ta lèd leaves may h e seen, bearing th e vestiges o f an anther. T h e seeds are numerous, and imbedded in a spongy substance.
“ Ascending th e river, we found th e p la n t more frequently, an d th e higher w e advanced th e more gigantic d id the specimen become. -One le a f we
measured, an d ascertained i t to b e k x fe e t five inches in diameter, th e rim five inches and a h a lf (nearly h a lf a foot) deep, and the flowers a foot and a
qua rte r across. A beetle (Trichius M 0 .infests th e blossoms, to the ir g re a t injury, often completely destroying ti^e inner p a rt o f th e disc : we counted
sometimes from twenty .to th irty o f ' the se insects in one flower.”
Five years la te r (in 1842), Sir R obe rt again detected th e p lan t in th e R upununi, an affluent o f th e Essequibo. I n 1845, Mr. Bridges, as related
in th e London Journal o f Botany, (v. 4 , p . 571,) undertook a botanical jo u rn ey into Bolivia; an d th e account Of his discovering th e Victoria is too
interesting t o ; b e h e re omitted. “ Du rin g my stay in th e In d ian tow p o f Santa Anna, in the.Brovincé.of Moxos, Republic o f Bolivia, during J u n e and
Ju ly , 1 8 4 5 ,1 made daily shooting excursions in ifihë v icinity, and on one occasion I h ad th e good fortune, w hile riding along th e wooded banks o f the
Yacuma, a tributa ry o f th e Mamoré, to arrive suddenly a t a beautiful p ond, or ra th e r small lake, embosomed in th e forest, when, to my delight and
surprise,' I descried for th e first time th e Queen o f Aquatics, Victoria regia ! T h e re were a t least fiflf: flowers in view, and Belzoni could n ot have
b e en more enraptured with his E g y ptian discoveries than was I in beholding this beautiful and novel sight, which few Englishmen can have witnessed.
margine tenoriore plano-horizontali, centre infra aquaram superficiem depresso ; pagina superior builis
innumoris, juglandis magnitudino obsessa; inferior fib nervos et processus membranaccos reticulates transversos,
in coUulas quadrangulares, pollicis cubid magnitudinem arquantes, divisa. Nervi radia«, dichotomi, andpites,
valdo prominontos, processibus roticulatis, membranaceis invicem junctl Substantia folii tenerior, colore supra
pallideviridi Pistiai, subtus lurido. Flos speciosissimus, apertus diamètre poUicum AngUcorum novem ad decern,
soriobus quinquo eadem altitudine cum calyds lobis inserts, oblonga, exterior® nivea, interior® vcrsicolora,
primum sanguinca, dein violaceo-purpurea. Stamina 40-50 ante petals inserts, in strobilum valde depressum
conniventia. FilamcrUa lanceolate, coriaces, acuta, 18 lineas longa, exterioribus sarpius sterilibus. Anther<e
cum filamentis arete conriatm, iisque infra apicem adnata, biloculares, loculis valde sojunctis, lateralibus, ab
apico inde dehiscontibus. Ovarium cum calyco connatum, tore concavo, multilocularc. Stylus brevis, oonicus,
rnagnus ; stigma unicum, ¡ndivisum, radiatum. Bacea immature fere magnitudine pomi majoris, multilocularis,
loculis 5-6-spormis, intoratitiisVngosis. Semina immature pisi magnitudine, dura, nigra, parietibus loculonim
adfixa. Embryo obovatus, basilari-lateralis.—Planta congenerum facile spedosissima a Brasilicnsibus vocatur
- tardius perfidt, maturi quidem ad fimdum aquarum usque descendent, ubi semina emittunt—
Cresdt in aquis profundis, sed mansionibus fluminis Amazonarum versus confluentem Xejtt."
* It willby-and-by bo shown that M. D’Orbigny afterwards considered the Victoria here found, to be a
distinct spodes from the one described and figured by English botanists.
t I ara ox t¡eedingly obliged to Di'■ Wallich for givmg me tilo opportuinity of inserting the iirat printed
botanical description of this plant; oxti,-actod from a lit¡tic-known Journal, Froriop’s Notizai, vol. xxxv., '(for
1883,) No. 9, p. 131 (No. 757 of tho eiAire .work)'.
“ Our difficviltics wore however rewarded by tho discovery .if one of tho most magnificent of plants.
In tho quiescent, waters of one of these islands the ontiire surface was cover■od by a Nymphtoaceoi
gignntio dimenaions, a new spedes of a genus which (according toDe Candolle) has only boon found in the
East Indies. T1lis flower measures in 0liametor more tllan a span.. The extorior petals are snow- ,vinto,—the
inner, of a spiòndidly violot pnrplo-brtiwn tint Most probably nio NymphBacca equals it in size, nor among
known flowora iii any comparable with it in point of hr-illiancy of colouring.. I have only preservod thorn in
spirits,'and have been obliged to contenit myself'with mirroly porti«ms, as weU as of tho leavw ; but an exact
drawing—at leaiit of tho flowers—has bisen taken of the inatural size
“Diar. hotiin., N. 3129. Euryalo Amazónica, Popp.; aculoatiesima, fol¡is orbiculatis, peltatis, dichotomonervosi^
supra bullatis, subtos cellulexhsi—Desa-. Ba, CauUs nullus. Pelioli ac podunculi 1-2-
orgyales, torotot
BV,/In
i, diámetro 1-2-pollicari.uti'roliquaplan
1-nedali. s
so sox pedes lata, sup'^cu!rris
»lum oxc.