340 Plants and their Ways in South Africa 



A strongly scented oil is contained in cavities extending the 

 length of the fruit. 



The seeds have abundant endosperm ; the fruit are adapted 

 to wind distribution. 



The plants show a sympodial growth and the umbels are 

 frequently cymose. 



The flowers are protandrous. Perfect, monoecious and 

 dioecious forms occur. 



Hydrocotyle has few flowered umbels of a cymose type. 

 They are so reduced that the umbel may be mistaken for a 

 single flower and the 4-6-parted involucre for a calyx. The 

 fruits are flattened at the sides. Frequently but one flower 

 bears fruit in the umbel, and one carpel is reduced. 



Fig. 320. — Peltate leaves of Hydrocotyle. 



Slender herbs in moist places with peltate or reniform leaves 

 or creeping shrubs showing a xerophytic nature in their well- 

 developed underground system and rigid or hairy leaves. 



U. verticillata, Th., is common by furrows with peltate leaves. H. 

 solandra, L., is adapted to the sandy hillsides where it is found. It has 

 white, woolly, wedge-shaped leaves, which come up in tufts from under- 

 ground stems. Some species have linear leaves. 



Bubon. — Umbels large, many rayed, yellowish-green. In- 

 volucre and involucel of many linear segments. Carpels flat- 



