73 FLORA. 



Scales appressed, some of them commonly alternate; flowers solitary at the ends 

 of the elongated erect peduncles; peduncles sometimes 5 crn. long; corolla about 

 3 times the length of the calyx; ovary compressed; capsule about 5 mm. high. In 

 swamps, southern Va. to Fla. and La. March May. 



Family 4. MENYANTHACEAE G. Don. 



Buckbean Family. 



Perennial aquatic or marsh herbs, with basal or alternate leaves, and 

 clustered regular perfect flowers. Calyx inferior, deeply 5-parted, per- 

 sistent. Corolla 5-lobed or 5-cleft, the lobes induplicate-valvate, at least 

 in the bud. Stamens 5, borne on the corolla, and alternate with its 

 lobes ; anther-sacs longitudinally dehiscent ; pollen-grains 3-angled. 

 Ovary i -celled, the 2 placentae sometimes intruded. Fruit a capsule, or 

 indehiscent. Five genera and about 35 species, widely distributed. 



Leaves 3-foliolate; swamp plant. i. Menyanthes. 



Leaves simple, entire, cordate, floating. 2. Limnanthemum. 



i. MENYANTHES L. 



A glabrous marsh herb, with creeping rootstocks, long-petioled 3-foliolate basal 

 leaves, and white or purplish flowers, racemose or panicled on long lateral scapes. 

 Calyx 5-parted. Corolla short-funnelform, 5-cleft, its lobes induplicate-valvate, 

 fimbriate or bearded within. Stamens 5, on the tube of the corolla; anthers sagit- 

 tate. Disk of 5 hypogynous glands. Ovary i-celled ; style subulate ; stigma 

 2-lamellate. Capsule oval, indehiscent or finally rupturing. Seeds few, com- 

 pressed-globose, shining. [Greek, perhaps month-flower.] A monotypic genus. 



i. Menyanthes trifoliata L. BUCKBEAN. MARSH OR BEAN TREFOIL. 

 BOG-BEAN. (I. F. f. 2889.) Rootstocks thick, scaly, sometimes 3 dm. long. 

 Petioles sheathing at the base; leaflets oblong or obovate, entire, obtuse, narrowed 

 to the sessile base, 3-8 cm. long; raceme io-2O-flowered; pedicels 6-25 mm. long, 

 bracteolate at the base; flowers 10-12 mm. long; calyx shorter than the white or 

 purplish corolla; capsule ovoid, obtuse, about 8 mm. long. In bogs, Greenland to 

 Alaska, L. L, Penn., Neb. and Cal. Also in Europe and Asia. May-July. 



2. LIMNANTHEMUM S. G. Gmelin. 



Aquatic herbs, with slender rootstocks. Leaves petioled, ovate or orbicular, 

 entire or repand. or the primary ones different; flowers yellow, or white, umbellate 

 at the summit of filiform stems at the bases of the petioles, or axillary. Calyx 5- 

 parted. Corolla nearly rotate, deeply 5-cleft, the lobes induplicate valvate in the 

 bud, sometimes fimbriate on the margins. Stamens 5, inserted on the base of the 

 corolla; anthers sagittate, versatile. Ovary i -celled; style short or none; stigma 

 2-lamellate. Capsule indehiscent or irregularly bursting. [Greek, pool-blossom.] 

 About 20 species, widely distributed. 



Flowers accompanied by tufts of root-like tubers ; native species. 



Floating leaves 2-5 cm. long; flowers 6-12 mm. broad, yellow; seeds smooth. 



1. L. lacunosum. 

 Floating leaves 5-15 cm. long ; flowers 12-20 mm. broad, white; seeds rough. 



2. L. aquaticum. 

 Flowers not accompanied by tufts of tubers; flowers bright yellow, 25 mm. broad, or 



more; introduced species. 3. L. nymphaeoides. 



1. Limnanthemum lacunosum (Vent.) Griseb. FLOATING HEART. (I. F. 

 f. 2890.) Primary leaves membranous, submerged, short- petioled; stems (stolons) 

 filiform, sometimes 3 m. long, bearing a short petioled floating leaf, an umbel of 

 flowers and a cluster of narrow tubers at its summit, or some of the floating leaves 

 on petioles as long as the stems; floating leaves ovate-orbicular, purplish beneath; 

 pedicels slender; tubers linear-conic. 1-2.5 cm. long; capsule covered by the con- 

 nivent calyx-segments. In ponds, N. S. to Fla., Ont., Minn, and La. July-Aug. 



2. Limnanthemum aquaticum (Walt.) Britton. LARGER FLOATING HEART. 

 (I. F. f. 2891.) Similar to the preceding but stouter and larger. Floating leaves 



