SPARGANIACEAE 35 



1. TYPHA L. 



Characters of the family. CAT-TAIL. HEED MACE. 



Spikes with pistillate and staminate portions separated ; pistillate with bractlets ; stigmas linear : pol- 

 len of simple grains. 



Hairs accompanying the pistillate flowers not thickened at the apex. 1. T. angusttfolia. 



Hairs accompanying the pistillate flowers with club-shaped tips. 2. T. Domingensis. 



Spikes with pistillate and staminate portions contiguous : pistillate without bract- 

 lets : stigmas club-shaped or rhomboidal : pollen grains in 4's. 3. T. latifolia. 



1. Typha [angustifolia L. Stems 1.5-3 m. tall, slender, not jointed : leaf-blades 

 narrowly linear, 5-15 mm. wide, finely striate-ridged : spikes light brown, 1-4 dm. long ; 

 pistillate portion with bractlets, 0.5-1.5 cm. thick ; staminate part separated from the pis- 

 tillate : stigmas linear or oblong-linear : pollen-grains simple : nutlets terete, not bursting 

 in water : outer coat of seeds not separable from the inner. 



In marshes, chiefly along the coast, Nova Scotia to Florida. Summer. Also in Europe and Asia. 



2. Typha Domingensis Pers. Similar to T. angustifdtia, but larger. Leaf -blades flat 

 or nearly so, the lower ones often 2 cm. broad : spikes 4-6 dm. long, the pistillate portion 

 10-20 mm. thick : hairs accompanying the pistillate flowers, or most of them, with mani- 

 fest club-shaped tips. 



In marshes or low grounds, Florida, Texas and California. Also in tropical America. Summer 

 and fall. 



3. Typha latifolia L. Stems 1-2.5 m. tall, stout, not jointed : leaf -blades linear, 

 10-25 mm. wide, contracting much in drying : spikes dark brown or black, 1.5-6 dm. 

 long; pistillate portion destitute of bractlets, 2.5-3 cm. thick ; staminate part contiguous 

 with the pistillate : stigmas spatulate or rhomboidal: pollen-grains in 4's: nutlets fur- 

 rowed, bursting in water : outer coat of the seeds separating from inner. 



In marshes nearly throughout North America. Summer and fall. Also in Asia and Europe. 



FAMILY 2. SPARGANIACEAE Agardh. BUR-REED FAMILY. 



Perennial marsh or aquatic herbs, with horizontal rootstocks. Sterns erect 

 or floating. Leaves alternate : blades sheathing at the base, narrow. Flowers 

 monoecious, in dense heads on the upper part of the stem and its branches. 

 Heads globose, sessile or peduncled ; stamiuate uppermost. Spathes bract-like, 

 sometimes remote from the head or its peduncle. Perianth of several (3-6) 

 scales. Stamens mostly 5. Filaments distinct. Anthers oblong, or cuneate. 

 Ovary 1-2-celled. Stigmas slender. Ovules anatropous. Fruit nut-like. 

 Endosperm copious, surrounding the straight embryo. 



1. SPARGANIUM L. 



Characters of the family. BUR-REED. The plants flower in spring and summer. 



Nutlets stalked, fusiform. 



Upper leaves with neither sac-like bases nor hyaline margins : achenes abruptly- 

 narrowed into the slender style. 1. S. androcladum. 

 Upper leaves with sac-like bases 'and hyaline margins : achenes gradually nar- 

 rowed into the conspicuous styles. 2. S. Americanum. 

 Nutlets sessile, obovoid or cuneate. 3. S. eurycarpum. 



1. Sparganium androcladum (Engelm. ) Morong. Foliage glabrous or nearly so. 

 Stems 2-7 dm. tall, more or less branched : leaf-blades linear, attenuate, sometimes quite 

 numerous : staminate heads usually less than 1 cm. thick : pistillate heads 3-7, sessile or 

 peduncled : bractlets broadest at the eroded apex, as long as the nutlets or shorter : fruiting 

 heads globose, 1-2 cm. in diameter : nutlets fusiform, more or less constricted at the middle, 

 4-6 mm. long, each abruptly narrowed into a slender style. IS. simplex Chapm., not Huds. ] 



In swamps or shallow water, Nova Scotia to British Columbia, Florida and Louisiana. 



2. Sparganium Americanum Nutt. Similar to S. androcladum^ but the stem simple, 

 the lower heads of the inflorescence merely peduncled. Leaves drying green, the upper 

 with more or less sac-like bases and broad hyaline-scarious margins : nutlets slightly angled, 

 each gradually narrowed into a stout conspicuous style. 



In low grounds or ponds, Ontario to British Columbia, Pennsylvania, and the Indian Territory. 



3. Sparganium eurycarpum Engelm. Foliage glabrous. Stems 8-20 dm. tall, 

 branched : leaf -blades linear, attenuate, flat or slightly keeled beneath, the lower ones 9-15 

 dm. long, the upper shorter : staminate heads about 1 cm. thick : pistillate heads several, 



