106 UNISEMA. No. 93. 



consider this as the type of the genus Pontedoria^ al- 

 though L. positivelj says that the fruit of it is 3 locular 

 and many seeded. All the servile American botanists, 

 and even Torrev^ who has verified the fruit, have fol- 

 lowed this absurdity. The Linnsean genus Pontederia, 

 was, and is yet, a cahos ; many genera have been taken 

 from it, Phrynium, Heterandra^ Leptanthus^ Sckollera, 

 &c,; the first, which is monandrous, belong to the Dry- 

 mirhezous, the others form the natural order^of Ponte- 

 derides, along with the true G. Pontederia, of which the 

 type is P. asnrea^ P. natans, P. dilatata^ P. vaginalis^ 

 &:c. of the tropical climates, with a trilocular polysperm 

 capsule. The whole genus, however, must be carefully 

 examined again, as some species may have a different 

 fruit or flower* I have already ascertained two other 

 new genera blended with it 



l.Lunania. Raf. Corolla tubular, 6 cleft, unequal, 

 3 filaments and anthers in the tube, one style, 6 stigmas, 

 capsule 3 locular, 3 valve polysperm. My Z.imywre is 

 the P. limosa of L. native of Jamaica, Mexico, and 

 Texas, different from the Leptanthus ovalis of North 

 America } mistaken for it by some. It has leaves cor- 

 date ovate, scapes lateral unifiore. Dedicated to Lunan, 

 author of the hortus Jamaicensis. 



2. Cakarunia. Raf. The P. hastata L. of Asia, 

 which has one of the 6 filaments witli a spur, and three 

 stigmas. 



^ My genus Unisema is quite peculiar to North Ame- 

 rica, and perfectly natural in habit. It must be the 

 V P^^f a new natural order indicated in 1815 by me, 

 and distinguished from all the monocotyle plants by p^n- 

 gone and stamens unequal^ a single seed, which ha^ 

 several affinities with the orders of Alismaceous, Dra- 

 contides, Orontides, Piperides, Comelines, and Ponte- 

 dendes, but differs from them all. It has many species, 

 ascertained by myself, which our Linn^an botanists, 

 and even Torrey, persist to consider as more varieties, 

 Because they have a general natural habit They all 



fmll'^ T^*^*"' P^"^*' streams, &c. and are perfectly 

 ^^r ' }r^ perennial roots creep like those of Nym- 

 tinul ^^^, throw out tufts of radical leaves on long pe- 

 wuies, witb a terete articulated stem, bearing one leaf, 



