XI 



stalk is axillary with a small scale at the base, from four to six 

 inches in length, enabling it to reach the surface, where, in 

 the American species, it is impregnated by the male flowers, 

 which are also axillary but sessile, and, becoming de- 

 tached, rise to the surface, and there floating, come into 

 contact with the female flowers, as in Valisneria, &c. : calyx 

 in three segments, about half the size of the corolla, green ; 

 petals three, small, translucent, white ; styles three, stigmas 

 fringed, purple. There appears to be every reason for believing 

 this plant a true native ; its habitat is in a thinly peopled 

 agricultural district, where it may have bloomed for many 

 years unnoticed ; from its abundance and the luxuriance 

 of its growth I presume this to have been the case. Since 

 the flowering season, the plant has gradually risen in the 

 water, but although seed has been diligently sought for, none 

 has yet been found. For most of these particulars I have to 

 acknowledge myself indebted to the kindness of Miss Kirby, 

 the discoverer. The subjoined additional particulars are 

 from the pen of the Rev. Andrew Bloxam, of Twycross, 

 Leicestershire : — " Anacharis Alsinastrum, Bab. In a small 

 packet of plants which I received in September last from Miss 

 Kirby, of Leicester, was a specimen totally unknown to me, 

 and which, as I happened at the time to be writing to Mr. 

 Babington, I sent to him for investigation. He considered it 

 as a species of Udora [Nuttall), and resembling the U. ver- 

 ticillata {Spreng.) of the Fl. Boreali- Americana, of which there 

 are specimens in Sir W. J. Hooker's herbarium — one from 

 New Jersey, much resembling the British plant, except that 

 its leaves are not so blunt. There are also in Sir J. Smith's 

 herbarium, at the Linnean Society's rooms, American speci- 

 mens from Muhlenberg of a ' Serpicula,' which seems to be 

 exactly the Leicestershire plant. There are two species of 

 Udora known in Europe — U. occidentalis (Pursh. sub Ser- 

 picula secund. Spreng. Syst. Veg. 1., p. 171), found in Pome- 

 rania, and U. Lithuanica {Besser), found in Lithuania, These 



