76. NYMPHAEACEAE — 77. CERATOPHYLLACEAE — 78. RANUNCULACEAE I97 



ORDER RANALES 



SUBORDER NYMPHAEINEAE 



FAMILY 76. NYMPHAEACEAE 



Aquatic herbs. Leaves floating, undivided, usually peltate. Flowers 

 solitary. Sepals 3 or more. Petals 3 or more. Stamens numerous. Anthers 

 opening inwards by longitudinal slits. Carpels 6 or more, distinct or united 

 below into a many-celled ovary. Stigmas free or partly united. Fruit in- 

 dehiscent or bursting irregularly. Seeds albimiinous. — Genera 3, species 

 20. 



1. Carpels separate, few-ovuled. Sepals 3. Petals 3. Flowers red, axillary. 



Leaves ovate, without stipules. — Species i. Southern West Africa 

 (Angola). Used medicinally. (Hydropeltis Michx.) [Subfamily CAB- 



OMBOIDEAE.] Brasenia Schreb. 



Carpels united, at least on the outside, many-ovuled. Sepals 4 — 5. Petals 

 numerous. [Subfamily NYMPH AEOIDEAE.] 2 



2. Sepals 4. Ovary more or less free from the calyx, but adnate to the 



corolla and the stamens. Seeds with an aril. Leaves with a stipule. 

 Leaf- and flower-stalks with 4 — 7 large air-canals. — Species 20. Used as 

 ornamental and fodder- plants ; the root-stock and the seeds are 

 edible and yield a drink, medicaments, and a dye. " Water-lily." 

 [Castalia Salisb.) [Tribe TETRASEPALEAE.] . Nymphaea Smith 

 Sepals 5. Petals smaller. Flowers yellow. Ovary free. Seeds without 

 an aril. Leaves without stipules. Leaf- and flower-stalks with many 

 small air-canals. — Species i. North-west Africa (Algeria). Used as 

 ornamental plants, as fodder, and for the preparation of a drink. {Nym- 

 phaea Sahsb.) [Tribe NUPHAREAE.] .... Nuphar Smith 



FAMILY 77. CERATOPHYLLACEAE 



Branched submerged aquatic herbs. Leaves whorled, deeply divided into 

 forked, linear segments. Flowers solitary or in pairs in the axils of the leaves, 

 without bracteoles, unisexual. Perianth simple ; segments 9 — 12, subequal, 

 united at the base, greenish or whitish. Stamens 12 — 16, inserted upon a con- 

 vex receptacle ; anthers opening outwards. Ovary superior, i-celled. Ovule i, 

 pendulous, straight. Style simple ; stigma entire, grooved. Fruit a nut. 

 Seed with a thin albumen ; embryo with a large, many-leaved plumule. 



Genus i, species 3 Ceratophyllum L. 



SUBORDER RANUNCULINEAE 



FAMILY 78. RANUNCULACEAE 



Herbs, imdershrubs, or shrubs. Leaves usually divided. Perianth simple 

 or consisting of a calyx and a corolla of free petals, h5'pog\Taous or nearly so. 

 Stamens usually numerous. Anthers opening b}' longitudinal slits. Carpels 



