SAURURACEy^— LIZARD'S-TAIL 



FAMILY 



LIZARD'S-TAIL 



Saitrurns cernuus 



t 



From Saurus, a lizard and oura, tail, referring to the 

 appearance of the terminal spike of flowers. 



Native, perennial, marsh herb. 

 Making beds in swamps and 

 shallow water. Southern New 

 England to Minnesota and south- 

 ward. June-August. 



Rootstock.— Slender, horizontal. 



Stem. — Two to four feet high, 

 jointed, sparingly branched, 

 leafy. 



Leaves. — Heart-shaped, pal- 

 mately ribbed, dark green, thin, 

 on stout petioles which sheathe 

 the stem. 



Flowers. — Whitish, small, fra- 

 grant, densely crowded on slen- 

 der spikes four to six inches long 

 and nodding at the tip. Calyx 

 and corolla are wanting; each 

 flower consists only of stamens 

 and pistils and has a small bract 

 at the base. 



Stamens. — Six to eight, fila- 

 ments white and threadlike. 



31 



Lizard's-Tail. Sajtriirus 

 cernuus 



