1.30. NAIADACE^. 



sexual, in spikes or racemes more rarely axillary solitary or clustered,, 

 rarelj' dicecious, sometimes inflorescence included in a spathe. 

 Perianth 0, or of 3-4 valvate tepals or tubular and almost hyaline. 

 Stamens 1-6, hypogynous in the 2-sexual flowers, solitary or connate 

 in male flowers, anthers 1-2-celled. Carpels 1-0, style long or short, 

 stigma various. Ovule 1 in each cell carpel, rarely {Aponoffefoy)) 2 or 

 more, erect or pendulous. Fruit of 1 -seeded achenes, drupels or 

 {Ajionogeion) follicles. Seed exalbuminous, embryo straight or curved, 

 radicular end very large. 



The description of the Family exchides the .Jxncoainaceif, but inchides the: 

 Potamofietonea and Ajwyiogetoneie which are treated as separate families by some 

 botanists. 

 I. Flowers 2-sexnal : — 



A. Periantli consistinj^ of 1-4 sepals : — 



Sepals 1-3, white or coloured, membranous. St. 6 or 



more 1. Aponoffeton. 



Sepals 4,* herbaceous, <j;"reen, anthers 4 sessile . . .2. Potamogeton. 



B. Perianth 0. Anthers 2, sessile S. Sv.ppia. 



II. Flowers 1-sexual or dioecious. Stamen 1 :— 



Perianth c. Stjle long- with oblique peltate stig-ma. 



Achenes 2-9 4. Zo.nnichi'U'm.. 



Perianth hyaline. Sticmas 2-4 sessile, slender. Achene 



one 5. Najfii. 



1. APONOGETON, L. f. 



Aquatics Avith tuberous rootstock and subjuerged or floating leaves, 

 longitudinally nerved and with numerous transverse nervules, mem- 

 branus. Flowers 2-sexual on long scapes bearing solitary or gemi- 

 nate, often unilateral spikes enclosed when young in a conical deciduous- 

 sheath. Periantli rarely of 3 segments, usually 2 or only 1, white or 

 coloured, deciduous or (if only one) with persistent broader accrescent 

 base. Stamens usually li in two whorls, seldom more in 3-4 whorls, 

 unequal. Carpels usually 3, seldom 4-0, with short or long style and 

 discoid or decurrent stigma. Fruit coriaceous follicular. Ovules 

 2 basal, or several 2-seriate on the ventral line, anatropous. Seeds, 

 erect exalbuminous, embryo straight. 

 Leaves floatiucr. oblong-. 3-5-nerved. Tepals 2 shorter than the 



4-8-seeded follicles 1. mouostachyov. 



Leaves submerged, lanceolate to linear-oblong-, H-7-nerved. 



Tepals 1-3, white, longer than the 1-2 seeded follicle> . . 2. crispum. 



1. A. monostachyon, L. f. Ghechu, H. 



Rootstock about 1" by •3--5" diam. stoloniferous. Leaves floating,, 

 oblong, more rarely linear-oblong, 2-5-S" by '75-1 -5", acute Oj obtuse 

 with cuneate rounded or cordate base, 3-5-nerved, petioles sub- 

 3-gcnous. Spike solitary on the scape, 1-0" long by -2" diam. with, 

 w^hite, pink or pale- blue flowers. Tepals 2, obovate or suborbicular,, 

 •r'loug. Stamens with bluish-purple anthers. Carpels 3. Follicles- 

 exceeding the tepals, smooth with 4-8 oblong seeds. 



Behar. Hopp ! Widely distributed in India and is found both sides of our area, 

 and probabl.v occurs in most of the districts. Fl., Fr. most of the .vear. 



The flowers are very pretty. The rootstock contains much starch and is eaten, 



* Sepnls, or possibly sepal-like appendages to the connective of the anthers. 



846 



