122 HEXANDRIA MONOGYNIA. Pontederia, 
Teling. Neroo-Tamara. 
A native of marshy places, or shallow standing sweet 
water. It flowers during the rainy and cold season. 
Root perennial, thick, spongy, creeping when long, a 
little flexuose with many fibres issuing from every part. 
Leaves radical; those that bear the flowers a little more 
‘elevated; but differing in no other respect from the rest; 
broad-sagittate, or triangular, very entire, pointed, very 
smooth and glossy, from six to seven inches long, 
and from five to six inches broad, posterior angles gene- 
rally obtuse. Petioles the flower-bearing longest and 
grooved a little, swelled near the apex, and there on the 
fore part, split like a sheath for the passage of the ra- 
ceme ; the other petioles are increased near the base into 
a large sheath, which embraces those within ; they are ta- 
pering, sometimes spotted with small purple dots, from 
eighteen to twenty-four inches long, and not grooved like 
the flower-bearing petioles, or scapes. Racemes subsessile, 
erect, while they are in flower, while young, globular, but 
lengthening as the flowers expand. Spaihes ovate. Flowers 
numerous, pedicelled, closely surrounding every part of 
the raceme ; those nearest the apex begin to expand first, 
and continue in succession down; they are large, and of 
a beautiful bright blue, violet colour. Pedicels round, 
smooth, about an inchlong. Petals six, withering, the 
three interior largest, and obovate; the three exterior ob- _ 
long. Filaments six, short, the lower rather longer, and 
as in the last bifid or broad and undivided with a double 
anther. Anthers linear, erect, the lowermost one is 
much larger and blue, the rest are yellow. Germ superior, 
ovate, with three cells, each containing numerous ovula 
attached to a vertical thickened line, or a receptacle on 
ach side of the partition. Style single, ascending, rather 
‘onger than the stamens, Stigma downy. _ 
