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ALISMACEZ. 
England. Perennial (?). Summer, Autumn. 
Rootstock a slightly thickened corm, producing tufts of radical 
leaves on scapes which flower in succession. Leaves stalked, floating 
when the plant grows in water, ascending or erect when on mud; 
petiole variable in length; lamina 1 to 3 inches long, 8- to 5 5-nerved, 
usually slightly cordate at the base, obtuse, when floating resembling 
the leaves of Potamogeton polygonifolius, but of a brighter green. 
Scapes leafless, 3 inches to 2 feet high, bearing a raceme of “usually 2 2 or 
3 whorls of flowers with membranous bracts at the base of the pedicels, 
which are generally numerous in each whorl, and lengthen after 
flowering until they are 1 to 2 inches long. Flowers about } inch 
across; outer perianth leaves green, deciduous; inner ones white with 
a yellow spot at the claw, very caducous. Fruit of 6 (more rarely 5 
to 8) follicles, united at the base and with subulate beaks spreading 
- the spokes of a wheel, but slightly ascending, each follicle about 
4 inch long, opening at length by the ventral suture. Seeds wean Ly 
oblong, § erooved, transversely-ruzose, pitchy-chestnut colour, about 1, 
inch lone, normally 2, but often only 1 by the abortion of the second 
ovule. 
Thrum Wort. 
French, 'liteaw étoilé. 
Sus-Orper II].—BUTOME. 
Perianth with the segments all nearly similar and petaloid, or the 
3 outer ones herbaceous. Stamens 9 or more. Ovules numerous in 
each cell of the ovary. Embryo straight or hooked. 
GENUS VI—BUTOMUS. Tournef. 
Perianth of 6 persistent concave petaloid segments; the outer ones 
subherbaceous on the back. Stamens 9, subhypogynous, in pairs 
opposite the outer perianth segments, and solitary opposite the inner 
ones; filaments narrowly subulate. Ovary consisting of a whorl of six 
l-celled carpels cohering at the base; ovules numerous in each carpel; 
Styles forming a beak to the carpels; stigmas simple. Iruit of 6 
follicles, cohering at the base, opening by the ventral suture. 
A marsh herb with radical linear somewhat bayonet-shaped leaves, 
and simple cylindrical scapes bearing a bracteated umbel of numerous 
Trose-coloured flowers. 
The derivation of the name of this genus of plants:is from: /Jove, ox, and répvw, I cut, 
being supposed to injure the mouths of cattle. 
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