108 THE PLANT WORLD 



grows are directly in the line of invasion of that Attila of the vegetable 

 kingdom, the water hyacinth, {Piaropus crassipes). Through every creek 

 in which the Nymphaea grows or has grown, and far above its stations, 

 the tides carry ponderous masses of the hyacinths and all aquatic and 

 littoral plants go down before it, even Nupliar macrophylla, which 

 formerly dominated such waters, and the stoutest rushes, grasses and 

 sedges. Other native aquatics have retreats which the hyacinth can 

 hardl}^ reach, but this slender Nymphaea grows just where the hyacinths 

 are driven back and forth by tide and wind, or where they take com- 

 plete possession of streams by their wonderfully rapid growth. 



For several years I have supplied a certain nurseryman with roots 

 of Nymphaeafiava, several hundred each year. At first they were ordered 

 in the fall, and I went for them with a boatman several times, and thus 

 became well acquainted with the rather complicated root system of the 

 plant, but never saw a vestige of fruit or of other leaves than the float- 

 ing ones. Afterwards I merely sent the man, who brought me the roots 

 washed and trimmed. It was not pleasant work, for the hoe or rake 

 would bring up a mass of black ooze, from which the roots had to be 

 extricated by hand. And we had to work rapidly while the tide was 

 low. After the water hyacinth appeared it became difficult to find the 

 Nymphaea, but fortunately my man found a fine bed of them in a little 

 piece of water which was separated from the river by a marsh. This 

 served as a source of supply for several years, but at last the hyacinths 

 were borne in by an exceptionally high tide and took complete posses- 

 sion. So when the nurseryman sent me an order last winter I had to 

 write him that I could not fill it, nor any future orders. 



In 1897 I received an order for Nympliaea roots early in April, and 

 presuming that it might be difiicult to find the plants so early I went 

 after them myself. I visited the locality which afforded the specimens, 

 No. 4815 of my second distribution, and secured a fine lot of roots. To 

 my astonishment I found that the plants were then pro\dded with a sec- 

 ond and very distinct set of leaves, thin, sagittate, short petioled and 

 wholly submerged. I made some dried specimens of them and laid them 

 aside, hoping to ascertain something further regarding the matter before 

 bringing it to public notice. Receiving another order early in the fol- 

 lowing December, I sent my man to the same place and had him bring 

 me some plants for examination. At first sight I thought they were 

 putting forth the sagittate leaves in abundance, but thej^ proved to be all 

 of the common form, the circinate vernation giving the baby leaves a 

 somewhat sagittate outline. Afterwards I examined plants of this species 

 in other localities, in spring, summer and fall, but never found any 

 sagittate leaves or indication of this existence. I might have come to 

 doubt that I had even found such leaves had not the specimens been 

 ready at hand in evidence of the fact. 



