Eichornia PONTEDERIACEAE-JUNCACEAE Juncus 



shaped: stamens 6, some of them exserted: fr. 3-celled. 5 species, in South America 

 and tropical Africa; one introduced in China. (After J. A. F. Eichhorn, 1779-1856, 

 Prussian Minister of public instruction.) 



1. Eichornia crassipes (Mart.) Solms Water Hyacinth (B.M.199). Floating or root- 

 ing in mud; fls. violet purple, spotted blue and yellow, VI-IX. Tropical and 

 subtropical America; locally in Che., Ku. Ponds and lakes. Fig. 472. 



2. Monochoria Presl j^j^fEM (Yii Chiu Hua Shu) 

 Marsh plants with erect lvs.: perianth of nearly separate segments: stamens 6, one 

 of them larger than the others: fr. a 3-valved capsule. 6 species, in eastern tropics; 

 4 in China. (Greek: mono, one, and chore, to separate, referring to one stamen being 

 longer than the others.) 



Key to the Species 



Plant conspicuous, 30-50 cm. high: lvs. large, 5-12 cm. across: infl. 

 several-fld., developing upward at the top of an erect shoot 1. M. korsakowii 



Plant small, 12-18 cm. high: lvs. small, 0.5-2.5 cm. across: infl. few- 

 fid, (usually 2-3-fld.), on a short axillary shoot 2. M. vaginalis 



var. plantaginea 



1. Monochoria korsakowii Regel & Maack WlXit (Yii Chiu Hua; Continuous-rain 

 Flower) (Mak.F.768). Stout herb, 3-5 dm. high; fls. bluish purple, VIII-X; fr. 

 X-XI. Eastern Asia; locally in An., Ku. Lakes and streams. 



2. Monochoria vaginalis (Burm.f.) Presl var. plantaginea (Roxb.) Solms (M. v. var. 

 pauciflora (Bl.) Merr.) (M.F.141; M.E. 1:201). Spreading, 12-18 cm. high; fls. bluish 

 purple, VII-IX. Tropical and subtropical Malaysia; locally in An., Che., Hun., 

 Ki. Lakes and streams. 



186. JUNCACEAE Rush Family H>fj>^£r (Teng Hsin Ts'ao K'o) 

 Grass like or rush-like herbs, mostly of wet or boggy places: fls. bisexual; perianth 

 chaff-like, of 6 greenish or brownish segments; stamens usually 6, stigmas 3: fr. a 

 3-valved several-many-seeded capsule. 8 genera with 315 species, widely distributed; 2 

 genera and 25 species in China. 



Key to the Genera 



Capsule 3-celled, many-seeded: plants always glabrous 1. Juncus 



Capsule 1-celled, 3-seeded: plants often hairy 2. Liizula 



1. Juncus Linn. Rush Mfo^M (Teng Hsin Ts'ao Shu) 

 Rush-like perennial herbs with smooth stems, growing in wet soil or in water: 

 infl. of clusters of small greenish or brownish fls.: capsule 3-celled, many-seeded. 225 

 species, cosmopolitan; 20 in China. (Latin: jungere, to join, referring to the use of 

 the stems for bands.) 



Key to the Species 



a. Stems leafless: infl. a lateral cyme 1 • J- effitsus 



aa. Stems leaf -bearing: infl. a terminal cyme. 



Stems flat and winged: lvs. flat, not septate 2. J. alatus 



Stems cylindric or compressed, not winged. 



506 



