The daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1848-1851, 1850-08-10

Ia Spruce's Voyage up the river Amazon, there
is an interesting account Of the magnificent plant
and flower called the +" Victoria kega, as they
appear in their native waters.
The largest and most splendid flower on this
| Continent, we think, lie the Nymphea Nelumbo Of
| Elliott. This is the largest Of the Nymphea IA
milv. It's circular peltaie leaves have frequently
diameter as large as bushel. Mr., Elliott SAYS its
leaves are larger than those of any other species
Of our aquatic plants. The upper surface Of the
leaves possess, in a greater degree than that Of
any other plant, with which am acquainted, the
power Of repelling WATER
| The lakes of Louisiana are literally covered
with these broad green shields; 50 that, in many
places, the surface Of the water is completely con-
csaled. In July and August, the flowers expand :
the petals are of pale yellow color, several inches
ia length, and form very graceful flower. The
water-snakes love to bask on these leaves; and il
is disagreeabe sight TO observe these hdeous rep
tiles coiled in the immediate neghborhood of such
beautiful Objects
Sometimes the water rises so suddenly in the
lakes, that the upper sides of the leaves are COW
cred they then die and we have seen acres Of
these leaves thus killed; and for a year or two,
the lakes remained free; but, after a time, thew
return, for though The leaves are killed. the roo,
does not seem to be injured. These leaves should
be dissectsd by some good anatomist and their pe-
culiar structure ascertaned. They must have
water underneath and air above: so they are
amphibious. But we must not forget the South
| American Nymphea:
"We at length reached the igarape, and were al
once gratified by seeiog the Victoria growing BY
| the opposite shore of the igarape itself We were
warned by the people not TO go amongst the plants
/ hair nrieklaa WAR
| hands and feet considerably pricked without exne-
| rencing any i'll effects. We were fortunate in
| finding the plant in good flower but, according to
The testimony Of all at SantaFem who have seen it,
the leaves attain their greatest dimensions in the
| Winter. Captain Hislop assures me he has seen
| many leaves twelve feet in diameter, whereas the
largest that we saw measured very little above
four feet across, and they were packed as close as
they could lie. But can easily conceive how, in
| the wet season, their dimensions should be con.
| siderably augmented, for whereas at present the
plant is growing in less than two feet of water in
| Winter the igaraps will be filled TO its topmosi
banks, or at least fifteen feet deeper than at pre-
sent, while its breadth would also be greatly in
| creased: so that the petioles of the Victoria
lenghening, doubtless, with the rise of the waters
will bring the leaves to much greater surface on
which they will have room to diiate about twice
their present size. The aspect of the Victoria in
It's native waters SO new and extraordinary that
1 am at loss to what TO compare it. The image
is not very poetical one but assuredly the impres
/ sion the plant gave me, when viewed from the
bank above, was that of number of tea travis
| floating, with here and there bouquet protruding
| between them; but when more closely viewed,
| the leaves excited the greatest admiration from
| their immensely and perfect symmetry. leaf
/ turned up suggests some strange fabric of cast
iron, just taken out Of the furnace its color and
| the enormous ribs with which it is strengthened,
| increasing the similarity.
" could find no PROSTATE trunk, as in the other
| Nymph@aee@. The root is central, the thickness
/ OF mans leg, penetrating deep into the mud 1--WE
could not dig to the bottom Of it with our tresados
and sending out fasices of whitish radcles, about
20 from below the base Of each petiole the thick
ness of finger, and two feet or more in length.
| The radices mperforate and give out here and
| there very few slender ibres. From the same
root have seen flowers uniting the characters Of
Victoria regia and cruziana iof the latter have
only the brief description in Walpers) so that |
can hardly doubt their being the same species. as
had been already more than suspected. The Crane
where we had gathered the Victoria is called Tapi
ruaria. | had two flowers brought TO me few
days afterwards from the adjacent lake. which
seems to have no name but that of the stos on its
banks Mr.. Jeffreys has also brought me flowers
from the Rio ArraPixuna which runs in the Tabaioz
above Santarem, and in the wet season unites the
the Tabaioz and Amazon. have further informs.
ton Of its growing abundantly in a lake beyond
the Rio Mayaca, which flows into the Amazon
some miles below Santarem. Mr.. Wallace who
recently visited Monte Allegro had leaf and flower
brought to him there ] have seen portion of the
leaf, which he dried Lastly, l have correct intel
lgence OF its occurring in the Rio Trombetas near
ObidOs, and in lakes between the rivers Tabaioz
and Madeira, so that there can be no doubt Of its
being pentifully distributed throughout the whole
| OF this region, both North and South of the
| Amazon