SiujHtaria. monokcia polyandri a. 645 



from six to twenty-iour. Female (Hermaphrodite, R.) ca- 

 /ijx and corol as in the male. Germ, and seeds numerous. 

 Embryo conduplioatc, without perispenn. 



1. S, safj'iitifolia. Willd. iv. 408. 



Leaves sagittate, acute ; lobes narrow, straight and acute. 

 Scape simple. Flowers tern. 



A native of the borders of sweet water lakes, ditches, &c. 

 in the vicinity of Calcutta, where it flowers in February, 

 March, and April. 



Root consisting of numerous, spongy fibres, from a crown, 

 formed by the united leaves, the centre one thicker, and end- 

 ing in the half putrid remains of the small round tuber, or 

 bulb, which gave existence to the plant, while from its sides 

 many suckers run a few inches, each ending in a small, round 

 bulb, w hich in due time produce other plants. Leaves ra- 

 dical, the first of the young plants linear, uncommonly slen- 

 der, and very acute, the next one or two simply cordate-ob- 

 long, the rest with angular, spongy petioles of different 

 lengths, and sagittate, acute, smooth, with the barbs or pos- 

 terior lobes, from two to three-nerved, and rather longer than 

 the sinole, five-nerved, narrower and much more acute, in 

 fact, cnsiform upper portion, aljout six inches long; petioles 

 from six inches to two feet long. Scapes simple, as long as 

 the leaves, columnar, spongy. Flowers pure white, pedi- 

 celled, uniformly tern, the inferior three, and sometimes the 

 second, or a part thereof female, the rest male. Bractes tern, 

 triangular, one-flowered, shorter than the pedicels. Calyx and 

 corol as in S. sagittifolia of Europe, only the latter is pure 

 white throuahout. Filaments in the male flowers, about 

 twenty-five, shorter than the ovate-oblong, yellow anthers. 

 In the female none, but some few, abortive germs are found 

 in the disk of the former. Germ in the female flowers very 

 numerous, Sec. as in S. sayittij'olia, Gccrt. Sem. ii. 21. t. 84, 

 but the embryo in our Indian plant is of a pale greenish yel- 

 low colour. 



