5IO 



ALISMACE/E 



carpels 3, 6, or more, mostly free, superior, i- or more-seeded; 

 fruit of achenes or follicles. 



1. Altsma. — Leaves erect or floating ; -flowers solitary, or in 

 whorls, perfect ; outer perianth-leaves green ; stamens 6 ; carpels 

 numerous, free, i -seeded, indehiscent. 



2. Sagittaria. — Leaves erect, arrow-shaped ; flowers in whorls, 

 imperfect ; otherwise as in Alisma. 



3. D A M A s 6 N I u M . — 

 Leaves floating ; flowers in 

 w^horls, perfect ; carpels 

 6 — 10, united at the base, 

 I — 2-seeded, dehiscent ; 

 otherwise as in Alisma. 



4. BuTOMUS. — Leaves 

 erect ; flowers in an umbel, 

 perfect ; perianth-leaves all 

 coloured ; stamens 9 from 

 the branching of the 3 

 outer ; carpels 6, united at 



the base, 

 dehiscent. 



many-seeded, 



I. ALfsMA (Water-Plan- 

 tain). — Aquatic plants 

 with fibrous roots; erect 

 leaves; flowers in whorls, 

 perfect ; outer perianth- 

 leaves green ; stamens 6 ; 

 carpels numerous, free, 

 I - seeded, indehiscent. 

 (Name, the Greek name 

 of the plant, of doubtful 

 etymology.) 



I. A. Plantdgo-aqudiica 

 (Great Water-Plantain). — 

 'A stout, herbaceous plant, 

 2 — 3 feet high, with large, long-stalked, radical leaves, ovate- 

 lanceolate, 5 — 7-ribbed, like those of a Plantain ; and a tall, erect, 

 much-branched panicle of whorled flowers, the inner perianth-leaves 

 of which are very delicate, white or pale lilac, and soon fall off; 

 carpels 20 — 30 in a ring. — Margins of rivers, lakes, and ponds ; 

 common. — Fl. June — August. Perennial. 



2. A. ranunculoides (Lesser Water-Plantain). — Much smaller 

 than the last, with linear-lanceolate, 3-ribbed leaves^ some of which 



AiJsMA plantAgo-aquXtica {Great IVater-Planiain). 



