THE GARDEN. JULY 23, 1887

Image by Perry Slocum Stylized by Kit Knotts

Canary Water Lily. - Mons. Latour-Marliac sends us flowers of a beautiful Water Lily, clear canary in colour, and fresh even after their long journey, accompanied with the following note: This Nymphaea, to which I have given the name of Marliacea Chromatella foliis hepatico-marmoratis, is, from the beauty of its flowers, which measure 6 inches in diameter, and the size of its foliage, quite a distinct kind. It is quite hardy even in the north, and its flowers, which remain open during the best part of the day, are produced in profusion from the beginning of May until the end of October. From the simple beauty of its leaves, richly marbled with reddish brown on the surface and freely spotted with red on the under side, one can imagine that the ornamental character of this plant consists as much in the leaf as in the flower, and also what an important part it is destined to take for the embellishment of expanses of water in the open air.

I have forwarded quite recently a plant of this Water Lily to the Royal Gardens, Kew, and I am convinced that it will hold its own amongst the most beautiful subjects in these magnificent gardens. The box that I send you contains a flower of the first day of opening, and a flower the third day of opening and in its full beauty; the base of the outside petals is of a rosy colour.- LATOUR-MARLIAC, Temple-sur-Lot, Garonne.

*** We have printed the above name, but beg of M. Marliac to give the plant some simple appellation that will make it less formidable to Christendom than Marliacea Chromatella foliis hepatico-marmoratis. In English I propose to call it the Canary Water Lily. - ED. (William Robinson)