Just as there is many a family which has an uncle it does not brag about, so Nymphaeaceae, the Water-Lily Family, has a genus called Nuphar. It is commonly known as Spatterdock, Cow Lily, and Yellow Pond-Lily. In form and habit, it is similar, but far inferior, to the hardy water-lilies.

The thick leaves, like those of the hardies except that they tend to heart shapes, sometimes float, sometimes are held above the water.

At the end of a thick, clumsy stem, the plant supports a 2- to 3-inch bloom with five or more golden-yellow, concave sepals. The bloom is cup-shaped, almost spherical. Most casual observers mistake the sepals for petals. Actually, it has numerous petals, but they are so insignificant that they appear to be a cluster of short stamens.

. Something new in water gardening. Until a few years ago, there were no tropical yellow water-lilies. This day-bloomer, developed by Dr. Pring, was named for the famous hybridist's son, who was killed in World War II. The flower does well in any reasonable surroundings, and is occasionally viviparous.

Nuphars thrive in stagnant pools and along the edges of slow-running streams throughout the United States east of the Rocky Mountains.

This humble plant has uses. Cattle eat the blooms and foliage. There is an old wives' tale to the effect that the leaves, when dried and burned, produce a smoke which will drive cockroaches out of a house. The Spatterdock is very hardy and will survive in places where hardy and tropjcal water-lilies cannot grow.

It is widely claimed that the nuphar will thrive without sun, but I have yet to have the claim proved. I know it will produce a great deal of foliage in deep shade, but I have never seen a shaded nuphar produce blooms. It is not unattractive seen at a distance. It is not pretty enough to cultivate in a pool, but a cluster of nuphars in a far comer of a natural pond-where they are only a small, incidental part of the show-will add some color to the view.

Only a few of the larger dealers carry nuphars. They are planted and propagated the same as hardy water-lilies. There are a number of species which grow wild practically all over the world. These are the more common North American forms