262 ESSAYS anp OBSERVATIONS 
*“OctTavo fubmerfi. Plantae haud paucae 
** caule fub aqua latent ; inftante vero floref- 
*‘centia, enatant flores, ut nymphaea, Sc. 
** Aliae vero fub aqua omnibus fuis partibus 
*occultantur ; ut myrzophyllum, frratiotes, po- 
** tamogetones plerique, qui omnes, fub floref- 
“centia, fpicam flores fupra aquas exferunt, 
“‘deinde iterum, peracta florefcentia, de- 
* mergitur fpica,” Wahblbom (1). 
“¢ Flores fubmerfi ad{cendunt fub florefcen- 
tia: nymphaea, ftratiotes, myriophyllum, pota- 
mogeton, hydrocharts, valifneria,” Linnacus (k). 
ALTHOUGH fome aquatic plants blow on- 
ly above the water, it cannot be proven that 
all do fo: yea it is certain, that many fubma- 
rine ones fructify under water. But, grant- 
ing all the alledged facts, it by no means fol- 
lows, that the defign of Nature is, to procure 
the better accefs of the duft to the figma; but 
rather that it may be difperfed in the air. For 
fince, under water, the flowers ‘* folicite per 
‘* petalorum commiffuras clauduntur, apici- 
« bus verfus ftigma inclinatis, et verfus interi- 
‘ora tantum farinaceis;? the duft or its aura 
feminalis, mutt there have much eafier accefs 
to 
(2) Amaen Acad. 1. p. 96. 
(4) Phil. Bot. p. 92. 
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