122 HEXANDRiA. MONOGYNiA. PontedeHa. 



Teling. Neroo-Taraara. 



A native of marshy places, or shallow standing sweet 

 water. It flowers during the rainy and cold season. 



Root perennial, thick, spongy, creeping when long, a 

 little flexuose with many fibres issuing from every part. 

 Leaves radical ; those that bear the flowers a little more 

 elevated, but difi'ering in no other respect from the rest ; 

 broad-sagittate, or triangular, very entire, pointed, very 

 smooth and glossy, from six to seven inches long, 

 and from five to six inches broad, posterior angles gene- 

 rally obtuse. Petioles the flower bearing longest and 

 grooved a little, swelled near the apex, and there on the 

 fore part, split like a sheath for the passage of the ra- 

 ceme ; the other petioles are increased near the base into 

 a large sheath, which embraces those within ; they are ta- 

 pering, sometimes spotted with small purple dots, from 

 eighteen to twenty-four inches long, and not grooved like 

 the flower-bearing petioles, or scapes. /?aceme« subsessile, 

 erect, while they are in flower, while young, globular, but 

 lengthening as the flowers expand. Spathes ovate. Flowers 

 numerous, pedicelled, closely surrounding every part of 

 the raceme ; those nearest the apex begin to expand first, 

 and continue in succession down ; they are large, and of 

 a beautiful bright blue, violet colour. Pedicels round, 

 smooth, about an inch long. Petals six, withering, the 

 three interior largest, and obovate; the three exterior ob- 

 long. Filaments six, short, the lower rather longer, and 

 as in the last bifid or broad and undivided with a double 

 anther. Anthers linear, erect, the lowermost one is 

 much larger and blue, the rest are yellow. Germ superior, 

 ovate, with three cells, each containing numerous ovula 

 attached to a vertical thickened line, or a receptacle on 

 each side of the partition. Style single, ascending, rather 

 longer than the stamens. Stigma downy. 



