BULRUSH 157 



is in threes, ilic corolla consists of 6 petals, anel there are 9 stamens, 

 6 pistils, and later 6 capsules. 



Flowering Rush is 2-3 ft. hi^jh. The flowers may be sought in 

 June anci Jul}-. The plant is a herbaceous perennial, propagated by 

 division. 



The flowers, which are on long stalks, forming a tlattish umbel, are 

 proteranclrous, the anthers ripening first, the stigma soon after.^ There 

 are 9 stamens, which are h)'pogynotis, 6 in [)airs, 3 opposite the inner 

 segments of the perianth. The anther-stalks are awl-shaped, and the 

 anthers are fi.xed by the base. The styles are short, and the stigmas 

 stalkless. 



The follicle contains many seeds, which fall, when the stem is 

 swayed Ijy the wind, into the water, and are so dispersed. 



riiis hand.some plant is aquatic, growing in lowland areas, with 

 peat-lo\ing or clay-loving plants. 



Butoniiis, Theophrastus, is from the Greek bous and t cm 110, because 

 the leaves cut the mouths of cattle; and the second Latin name refers 

 to the umbellate inflorescence. 



This plant 'is called Flowering Rush, Water Gladiole. Gerarde 

 says ot it: "The water-gladiole or grassie-rush is ot all others the fairest 

 and most pleasant to behold and serveth very well lor the decking and 

 trimming up of houses, because of the beautie and braverie thereof". 



Essential Specific Characters: — 

 316. Bittoimis Jtmbel/ahcs, L. — Scape radical, leaves radical, trian- 

 gular, Ion''", slender, flowers in unfljels, rose colour with scarious bracts. 



Bulrush (Scirpus lacustris, L.) 



Remains of the arctic Bulrush have been found in Preglacial beds 

 in Norfolk and Sufiblk, in Early Glacial beds in Norfolk, in hiter- 

 glacial and Late Glacial beds, as well as in Neolithic deposits. Its 

 present distribution is the Arctic. Temperate, and Tropical regions, 

 being cosmopolitan. In (ircat ISritain it does not grow in the Isle of 

 Wight, Monmouth, Pembroke, Cardigan, Roxburgh, Linlithgow, Mid 

 Perth, X. Perth, Banff, ICasterness, .S. Ebudes, but elsewhere ranges as 

 far north as the Shetlands. and occurs in Ireland and the Channel Islands. 



P)ulrushes are widespread in these islands, forming a typical part of 

 the landscape, one may almost .say in every piece of water scenery. 

 They form tall beds in the channels of rivers, streams, or ditches in 



'Or the stigma may not ripen till later. In some cases both mature simultancnuslv. The 6 anthers 

 which alternate with the perianth-segments ripen first. Tlic other three open later, and then the stigm.as. 



