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2. BUTOMUS UMBELLATUS. 



FLOWERING RUSH. 



THIS genus contains a plant of the flowery perennial aquatic 

 kind. The Flowering Rush, or Water Gladiole. 



It belongs to the class and order Enneandria Hexagynia, and 

 ranks in the natural order of Tripetaloidea. 



The characters are: that the calyx is a simple, three-leaved, short 

 involucre: the corolla consists of six petals, roundish, concave, wi- 

 thering; three outer alternate, smaller, more acute: the stamina con- 

 sist of nine subulate filaments: the anthers are bilamellate: the pistil- 

 lum has six germs, oblong, acuminate, ending in styles: the stigmas 

 are simple: the pericarpium consists of six capsules, oblong, gra- 

 dually attenuated, erect, one-valved, gaping on the inside: the seeds 

 are very many, oblong-cylindric, obtuse at both ends, fixed to the 

 wall of the capsules. 



There is only one species: B. umbellatus, Umbellated Butomus, 

 or Flowering Rush. 



It has a thick, oblong, fibry, perennial root: the leaves are ensi- 

 form, long, triangular, smooth, quite entire, spongy, at bottom 

 sheathing, at top flat and twisted: the scape upright, round, smooth, 

 from one to three or five and six feet high: the flowers to thirty, each 

 on a single round peduncle, from an inch to about a finger's length* 

 forming an upright umbel, surrounded at bottom by an involucre of 

 three withering membranous sheaths; besides a smaller stipule to each 

 peduncle: corolla handsome, near an inch in breadth; commonly of 

 a bright or pale flesh-colour, purple or rose-colour. It is a native 

 of most parts of Europe, and Flowers in June and July. 



There are varieties with white flowers; with -jed flowers; with 

 deep purple flowers. 



