lower portion of the stems, full of air-cells, enabling it to float, 
are very remarkable. From the more slender and deeply striated 
and furrowed portions the leaves and flower-stalks appear: the 
former are as irritable in the petioles and leaflets as are those of 
the common Humble-plant, and of an extremely delicate yellow- 
green colour. ‘The flowers are minute, but they are collected 
into a large ovoid head, the lower half of which is quite yellow 
from the numerous dilated and subpetaloid antherless stamens. 
True stamens are only found in the upper flowers, and we have 
not in our specimens seen any pistils. It flowered in the sum- 
mer months with us. 
Dxscr. Plant floating. Stems prostrate, branched, downy, . 
deeply furrowed on the lower portion, or that bearing the nu- 
merous, plumose, calyptrate fibres, very thick, swollen, white 
and spongy. Leaves alternate, remote, set on as it were by 
an articulated, purple, swollen base, pari-bipinnate, highly sensi- 
tive; pinne three to five pairs, distant, nearly sessile, linear- 
oblong ; /eaflets numerous, crowded, linear, obtuse. Stipules ob- 
liquely ovate, much acuminate, dimidiate, membranaceous, co- 
loured. Just below the setting on of the lower pinnee is a con- 
Spicuous gland. Peduncle axillary, nearly as long as the leaf, 
with one or two bracteas, like the stipules of the leaves. Flowers 
small, collected into a head an inch and a half or more long, 
ovoid, and remarkable for the upper part bearing perfect stamens 
(no pistils in our specimens) : in the lower numerous flowers the 
stamens are all petaloid and yellow, linear-lanceolate, tapering at 
both extremities. The petals of the antheriferous flowers small 
and lanceolate. The anthers orange-brown. 
Fig. 1. Flower from the lower part of a capitulam. 2. Flower from the apex 
of a capitulum :—magnified. 
