APONOGETON 



THE liri,B 1U)()K 



APONOGETON 



would make a .yooil substitute for the 

 potato in Eurojie. 



APONOGETON (Celtic (ijHtn, water ; 

 r/ci7o«, neighbour: in reference to place 

 of growth). Nat. Ord. Naiadaccai. — A 

 genus containingabout twentyspecies, 

 of which the best known are : — 



A. Bemieriana is closely related to 

 A. fenestrale. It has pinkish flowers, 

 but narrower and longer leaves, Avith 

 closer netted veins. 



A. capensis (or A. angustifolivim) 

 is like a small A. distachyon, having 

 small long-stalked leaves and small 

 white flowers {(rard. Chron. 1906, 

 xxxix. 300; xl. 341). 



A. distachyon, the Cape Pondweed 

 or Winter Hawthorn. — A very orna- 

 mental S. African water plant, having 

 flatfish brown tuberous root-stocks. 



Fio. 55. — Aponogeton distachyon. (J.) 



from which arise masses of stalked 

 oblong lance-shaped distinctly veined 

 leaves, which float on the surface of 

 the water. The forked spikes of 

 white sweet-scented flowers appear 

 from (September to Christmas, each 

 blossom having six stamens with 

 conspicuous brown anthers, and many 

 carpels. (Jiot. Mnrj. t. 1293.) 



The " Winter Hawthorn " is (luite 

 hardy in the milder parts of the 

 Kingdom, and may be grown in 

 ponds, lakes, or streams of fresh 

 water. The plants are best placed 



in pots or pans, and these are sunk 

 about a foot Ijelow the surface of the 

 water. In this way they will l)e safely 

 secured from frost. To increase the 

 plants, the root-stocks should be 

 carefully divided in spring, after 

 the leaves and flowers have Avithered. 

 Seeds may also be sown when ripe 

 in sandy soil in pots that can be 

 submerged in water. This plant can 

 also be grown easily in large bell- 

 glasses or Avater-tanks in cool rooms, 

 or in cold greenhouses. 



A. fenestrale. — This is the Avonder- 

 ful Lace-lcaf or Lattice-leaf plant of 

 Madagascar, for years well knoAvn as 

 Ouvirandra. It is a singular a<iuatic 

 plant Avith tuberous rhizomes, and 

 broadly elliptic lance-shaped leaves 

 G to 18 ins. long, floating horizontally 

 beneath the Avater surface, and being 

 remarkable for having no soft tissue 

 betAveen the nerves or veins, the 

 latter forming a beautiful netted 

 laceAvork. The flowers are greenish- 

 Avhite, borne on forked spikes. {l>ot. 

 Mwj. t. 4894.) 



A. fenestrale and its relatives 

 require to be groAvn in hothouses, 

 in Avatcr-tanks or tubs, the tempera- 

 ture most suitable being about 75" 

 to 80° F. The rhizomes should be 

 planted in a compost of turfy loam, 

 and Avell-matured coAv-manure and 

 leaf -mould in about e(iual proportions, 

 and should not be deeper than 6 to 

 9 ins. from the surface of the water. 

 The jJants may be groAvn in an 

 ordinary Avashing-tub beneath the 

 stages, in a stove house, or tropical 

 fernery. Propagation is effected 

 chiefly by dividing the root-stocks, 

 but ncAV plants may also be oljtained 

 from seeds. 



A. Henkelianum differs from A. 

 fematrale in having a larger rhizome, 

 erect instead of creeping, and the 

 leaves are a paler green {(,'ard. Chron. 

 1906, xl. 270, ff. 108, 109). 



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