362 PROCEEDINGS OF THE AMERICAN ACADEMY 



Mr. Lloyd proposed to name this plant E. inaperta ; because that, 

 while the flowers of all the European species are open or expanding, 

 iu this and in E. Americana^ as far as he had seen, they are always 

 closed. I cannot well distinguish the specimens sent from Swedish 

 ones of E. triandra, which equally appear not to have expanded their 

 blossoms; and from a remark of Seubert's (Elat. Monogr. 54), and 

 from his reference to one by Braun, it may be inferred that tliis occurs, 

 more or less, in the submersed state of E. kexandra, DC, his E. palic- 

 dosa. In our American species, we have botii closed and open blos- 

 soms, at least in E. Americana ; and the petals in some terrestrial 

 states of the latter are so large, conspicuous, and enduring, and so 

 strikingly tinged with pink or rose-color, that they would seem to 

 belong to a totally distinct species. The more aquatic forms, even 

 when flowering above the water, probably expand transiently if at all, 

 and have the appearance of being close-fertilized in the bud. But 

 observations as to this should be made upon living plants. 



The French specimens sent by Mr. Lloyd at once recalled the nar- 

 row-leaved plants of the Western Atlantic States, which had been 

 iniwittiugly referred to E. Americana, regarded as the only N. Ameri- 

 can species ; and on comparison they seem to be identical. I find, 

 moreover, that Seubert has identified Chilian specimens, collected by 

 Bertero, with E. triandra. [In a pamphlet on the Flora of the West 

 of France, dated Dec. 30, 1877, Mr. Lloyd has published a detailed 

 description and account of his species, under the name of Elatine 

 inaperta.'\ 



Among the herbarium specimens inadvertently referred to E. Ameri- 

 cana, I find several, of more or less terrestrial habit, with leaves inter- 

 mediate in form between those of E. Americana and of E. triandra, 

 and with seeds distinct from either. I distinguish this as a species 

 under the name of E. hrachysperma. 



Finally, among the many interesting plants received from the sharp- 

 sighted and enthusiastic IMr. Lemmon, I find an Elatine of the Eluti- 

 nella section, which was not before known in America. 



So that, instead of a single species, we can now recognize four, the 

 characters of which are presented in the above synopsis. 



1. E. TRiAXDRA, Schkuhr. This European species, as stated above, 

 is said by Seubert to be Chilian, and in Bertero's collection. Naudin 

 has accordingly introduced it into Gay's Flora Chilena, and also 

 founded E. Cldlensis on Bertero's sj^ecimens, describing the leaves as 

 oblong-obovate. I have no Chilian specimens. All the American 



