284 THE MELASTOMA FAMILY. 



1. Flowers in leadess, many whorleJ, reddisli -yellow spilies, \ ^ „ 



three to five inches long, and erect while young. ^ ° .^„^^,„^^^ ' 



_ ,.•,•■ .JO FEATHERWEED. 



Leaves lour in a whorl / 



2. Flowers as in the preceding, but the lower or female N 



flowers have pectinate bracts underneath them, and I Slender Water- 

 the spikes are ^JfiJitZuZoMS while young. Leaves three [ featheeweed. 

 or four in a whorl / 



3. Flowers all in the axils of leaves, and submerged along ) Submerged Water- 



with them J featheeweed. 



HABITATS AND LOCALITIES. 

 1. Common Watek-featheraveed — [3Iyriophyllum spicdtum.) 

 Ponds and other stagnant waters about Stretford, Chorlton, Baguley, 

 Blakeley, &c., common. Pond in Dunham Park. Stream running 

 into Rostherne Mere. Fl. July, August. 



E. B. ii. 83. 



2. Slender Water-feathekweed — [Myriophyllum alterntflorum.) 

 Ponds at Baguley, Old TraflFord, &c., not uncommon. Fl, July. 



E. B., Supp. iii. 285J: (with magnified dissections). 

 Probably not distinct from the preceding. 



3. Submerged Water-featherweed — [Myriophyllum vertidllntum.) 

 Like the others, in ponds, and quiet recesses of streams, common. 

 Old Trafford ; Chorlton ; Stretford ,■ Lymm. Reservoir at Strines 

 Print-works. Fl. July. 



E. B. iv. 218; Baxter, v. 376. 



Probably often overlooked, in consequence of its flowers not rising above the 

 water. 



The fourth British plant of this family, the Hippiiris or mnre's-tail, (Curtis, ii. 

 218.) is often confounded with the Equisetum or horsetail. There arc several 

 species of the latter, as will bo found when we come to treat of the class of 

 CoRMooENS, and most of them common near Manchester, but the Hipimris has 

 not liitlierto been found here. 



LXXXVI.— THE MELASTOMA FAMILY. Melastonmcea. 



An extensive and splendid fomily, almost confined to the tropics, 

 none being found in Europe, and scarcely a dozen in any other tem- 

 perate latitudes. They have considerable affinity with the Myrtaceae, 



