Nymphaea
(from nymphe, a water-nymph; in reference to the habitation of the plants). Water Lily. SYN. Castalia. ORD. Nymphaeaceae. A rather large genus (about a score species) of handsome stove, greenhouse, or hardy aquatics, with a fleshy or tuberous root-stock. They are mostly distributed over the Northern hemisphere or the tropical regions, a few being found in South Africa or Australia. Flowers white, blue, or red, showy, solitary; sepals four, girding the base of the torus; petals numerous, adnate to the torus. Leaves large, profoundly cordate, or peltate, floating. The cultivation of Water Lilies is by no means difficult. The hardy ones may be planted on hillocks of turfy loam, decomposed manure, and rough sand, so that the crown remains from 6in. to 12in. below the surface of the water. Where it is impracticable to make a billock, place the tubers in baskets of rich soil, and submerge these in the places where the plants are intended to grow. The stove species thrive in large pots, wherein a similar mixture of soil to the above should be used, but they require a house temperature of from 65deg. to 75deg., and the water heated to about the last-named figure; though several will succeed if kept much cooler. A full exposure to all the sun and light possible is recommended, supposing other plants grown in the house will bear it as well as the Nymphaeas. As the leaves ripen, gradually lower the temperature of the water and the house, and allow the tubers to remain in the water until the time for repotting comes round--the following March. Some growers even dry off the roots, by gradually withdrawing all the water, and just keeping the soil moistened now and then, to prevent dryrot, &c. Probably the first-named plan is the best. Propagated by seeds, which, in most cases, ripen freely. They should be sown in small pots of soil, and submerged in a shallow warm-water tank, in spring. The seedlings will grow away freely, if properly treated, and will flower well the same season.
N. advena (stranger). A synonym of Nuphar advena.
N. alba (white).* Common White Water Lily. fl. white, scentless, floating on the surface of the water, 4in. to 6in. across; sepals four; petals from sixteen to twenty-four, in two or three rows, the outer ones having a green streak along the back. Summer. l. deeply cordate, entire, smooth. Europe (Britain), &c. Of this beautiful hardy species there is a very pretty rosy-pink variety, known as rosea. (R. H. 1879, 230, under name of N. Caspary.)
N. amazonum (Amazon). fl. 3in. to 4in. in diameter, very fragrant; sepals yellow-green, purple at base; petals yellowish-white. l. sub-orbicular, cordate, obtuse, entire or sinuate-toothed, usually reddish beneath, 4in. to 12in. long. Jamaica. Greenhouse. (B. M. 4823.)
N. ampla (large), of Hooker. A synonym of N. ampla speciosa.
N. a. speciosa (showy). fl., petals white or yellowish-white; exterior stamens much longer than the interior ones. July. l. cordate and a little peltate, sinuate-toothed, glabrous, usually purple beneath. Jamaica, 1801. Stove. (B. M. 4469, under name of N. ampla.)
N. caerulea (blue). A synonym of N. stellata.
N. Caspary (Caspary). A synonym of N. alba rosea.
N. dentata (toothed). A synonym of N. Lotus dentata.
N. Devoniensis (Duke of Devonshire's).* fl. brilliant rosy-red, from 5in. to 8in. across. Spring to winter. l. large, peltate. A most beautiful stove hybrid, between N. Lotus and N. rubra. (B. M. 4665; P. F. G. iii. 98.) N. elegans (elegant). fl. fragrant, the size of the common Water Lily; sepals pale green, yellowish at base, and streaked with deep brown; petals twelve to fourteen, yellowish-white, tinged with purplish-blue; both oblong and obtusely acuminated. June. l. floating, about 6in. long, 4 1/2in. to 5in. broad, purple beneath. New Mexico, 1850. Stove. (B. M. 4604.)
N. flava (yellow). fl. canary yellow, of medium size. Summer. l. oblong-orbicular, shallowly crenate, with slightly diverging, somewhat prolonged auricles at the base, irregularly blotched with a bronzy colour, especially in the early part of the season. Blade 4in. to 6in. long, and 3 1/2in. to 5in. broad. Rhizome slender, forming numerous suckers. This species never becomes thoroughly deciduous, and, therefore, should never be dried off. South United States, 1881. Nearly hardy.
N. gigantea (gigantic).* fl. of a beautiful blue, 6in. to 7in. across, with numerous petals and a dense mass of deep golden-coloured stamens, which form a striking contrast. Summer. l. peltate, smooth, dark green. Australia, 1852. A handsome greenhouse or stove species. (B. M. 4647.)
N. Kalmiana (Kalm's). A synonym of Nuphar pumilum.
N. Lotus.* Egyptian Lotus. fl. red or white, with the sepals red at the margins, large. Summer. l. peltate, sharply serrated; under surface pilose at the nerves, and pubescent between them. Tropics of Old World, 1802. Stove. This is the Lotos, which was celebrated by the ancient Egyptians, sacred to Isis, and was sometimes engraven on their very ancient coins. It is not to be confounded with the Lotos of the Lotophagi, which is supposed to be Zizyphus Lotus. The seeds, dried and ground, were made into a kind of bread by the ancient Egyptians, as were also the roots. Fig. 704 represents an abnormal condition, which appeared in the Paris Botanic Garden some years ago. From the axils of some of the floral leaves of an otherwise normal flower, have developed five flower-stalks (two being united), each bearing another flower; a very strange and interesting instance of prolification. (A. B. R. 503; B. M. 1280 and 1364, under name of N. rubra.) N. L. dentata (toothed).* fl. pure white, very large, from 6in. to 14in. in diameter, many-petaled, produced in great profusion in autumn. l. peltate, very large, serrated at the margins, often 2ft. in diameter. Sierra Leone, 1845. A magnificent variety. (B. M. 4257, under name of N. dentata.)
N. Lotus (Lotus), of Sims. A synonym of N. thermalis.
N. micrantha (small-flowered). fl. smaller than the common Water Lily; sepals four, pale yellowish-green; petals many, white or whitish. August. l. elliptic-rotundate, tinged underneath with pale purplish-brown. West Africa. Stove. (B. M. 4535.)
N. nitida (shining). fl. white, scentless, smaller than those of N. odorata; petals blunt. June. l. cordate, quite entire, nerves not prominent on the under surface; petioles smooth. Siberia. 1809. Hardy. (B. M. 1359.)
N. odorata (sweet-scented).* fl. white, tinged with red, sweet-scented, about 6in. across, expanding in the morning, but closing after noon; petals blunt. Summer. l. cordate, quite entire, with the nerves and veins on the under surface very prominent. North America, 1786. A handsome hardy species, very like N. alba, but quite distinct. (A. B. R. 297; B. M. 819.) There is a very handsome variety, with flowers faintly tinged with pink, called rosea.
N. pygmaea (pigmy).* fl. white, fragrant; petals acute; torus greenish-yellow. June to September. l. cordate, quite entire, nerves not prominent; petioles smooth. Central and Northern Asia, 1805. An elegant little hardy species. (B. M. 1525.)
N. rubra (red). A synonym of N. Lotus.
N. scutifolia (shield-leaved).* fl. bright blue, sweet-scented. Summer. l. peltate, bluntly and sinuately toothed, not dotted, smooth on both surfaces, two-lobed at the base; lobes incumbent. Cape of Good Hope, 1792. A handsome greenhouse or stove species, distinguished from N. stellata by its much larger and many-petaled flowers, and by the petals being more obtuse. (F. d. S. vi. 645.)
N. stellata (starry).* fl. blue, very delicately scented, produced in abundance throughout the summer months. l. peltate, nearly entire, without dots, glabrous on both surfaces, two-lobed at the base. Tropical Africa, 1812. A beautiful stove plant, which was probably held sacred by the Egyptians, and frequently represented on their old monuments and in hieroglyphics. (B. M. 552, under name of N. caerulea.)
N. s. cyanea (blue). Indian Blue. fl. blue. June to September. l. peltate. India, 1809. Stove. (B. M. 2058.)
N. s. versicolor (various-coloured). fl. white, changing to red; several of the outer petals are green, and furrowed on the back with green lines. Summer. l. peltate, with the margin and between the recesses sinuately toothed, full of pustules, glabrous on both surface. Bengal, 1807. Stove. (B. M. 1189, under name of N. versicolor.)
N. s. zanzibarensis (Zanzibar).* fl. intense blue; anthers with a shade of violet; sepals green outside and purple within. Summer. Zanzibar, 1880. Stove. This is one of the most free flowering and beautiful of all the Water Lilies.
N. Sturtevantii (Sturtevant's).* A handsome garden variety, of American origin; a very floriferous large-flowered stove plant, with lighter-coloured blossoms than its parent, N. Devoniensis.
N. thermalis (hot-bath).* Hungarian Lotus. fl. pure white, having a somewhat vinous odour, very freely produced during summer. l. peltate, sharply toothed, glabrous on both surfaces. Hungary, in the warm river Pecze, 1802. Stove. (B. M. 797, under name of N. Lotus; F. d. S. vii. 706, 707.) N. tuberosa (tuberous). fl. 4in. to 7in. across, very faintly scented; sepals and petals as in N. alba and N. odorata. July and August. l. circular, 8in. to 18in. in diameter, with an entire or undulated margin. Rootstock creeping, bearing oblong tubers. North-eastern United States. Hardy. (B. M. 6536.)
N. versicolor (various-coloured). A synonym of N. stellata versicolor.