Rhizomatous, aquatic, perennial herbs. Leaves alternate, large and rather coarse, long-petiolate, the petioles glabrous, the blades suborbicular, entire to sinuate-dentate, green above, purple below, 10-30 cm. long, 10-30 cm. broad, the sinus 2-10 cm. deep; venation prominulous to coarse, of about 7-19 main veins, these ultimately dichotomizing and trichotomizing and reticulate. Flowers long-pedunculate, floating or emersed, opening by night, white, 5-15 cm. broad, the peduncles glabrous; sepals 4, lance-ovate, obtuse to acute, green with purplish striations, 3-7 cm. long; petals several, lance-oblong to obovate, obtuse, white or tinged with yellow; stamens numerous, 1-4 cm. long, the outermost longer and broader, the anthers about half as long as the filaments, the filaments scarcely produced beyond the anthers; carpels ca. 20, laterally connate, the wall between carpels being single, the styles long and clavate, 5-12 mm. long. Fruits 2-3 cm. broad, 1.5-2.5 cm. high, probably maturing under water, pulpy, irregularly de-hiscent, many-seeded, the seeds dull gray, operculate, subglobose, ca. 1.6 mm long by 1.2 mm. broad, strigillose in rows.
Home