THE ROOT. 17 



flower begins to decay, the roots, instead of remaining sus- 

 pended as before, strike down into the mud, and finally the 

 whole plant is drawn to the bottom, where its seeds ripen. 

 These seeds rising to the surface, germinate, and in their 

 turn, produce a new progeny, which floats there until having 

 perfected their flowers, they sink to the bottom, where, like 

 their ancestors, they ripen their seeds. The Floating Liver- 

 wort, (Riccia natans,) is another swimming plant. Its frond, 

 or leaf, is nearly an inch in diameter, and divided into chan- 

 nels. Some plants even swim about at random in the water 

 where they were produced, and continue to grow on their 

 journeys. This is the case with that sea plant called Gulf- 

 weed, by sailors, and Fucus natans by botanists. It is found 

 in the Gulf of Florida, and in the Gulf stream, and other 

 parts of the ocean, floating in masses or fields many miles in 

 extent. 



Other plants which were originally attached to the soil, 

 are occasionally loosed from their situations and float to great 

 distances, being driven by winds or currents. The Water 

 house-leek, (Ptstia stratiotes,) is of this kind. It is common 

 in Georgia and Florida, in the U. States, and in the East and 

 West Indies. This plant has some resemblance to garden 

 lettuce, but has very different habits It grows near the 

 shores of lakes and rivers, covering their surfaces for miles 

 in extent. Its roots are long, and generally strike into the 

 mud, or reach the half decayed logs at the bottom. Some- 

 times large fields of this plant are detached, either by the 

 sudden rising of the rivers, or by a strong wind on the lakes, 

 and are thus transported from one place to another, often to 

 great distances. Bartram, in the account of his travels in 

 Florida, gives a very picturesque description of these floating 

 meadows which he saw there. 



Plants without Roots. Some plants live and thrive almost 

 entirely without roots, and consequently absorb their nourish- 

 ment from the air by means of their leaves. As every plant 

 is fitted for its situation by peculiar organs or adaptations, so 

 in these cases, the leaves of such plants are formed for the 

 absorption rather than the exhalation of fluids. The House- 

 leek, (Sempervivum,) which name signifies " to live forever" 

 though a common plant, is a very curious one on this account. 

 It will grow for weeks or months, without the least root, and 



What curious provision is exhibited in the ripening of seeds of the wa- 

 ter starwort ? Under what circumstances does the gulf weed grow? 

 What account is given of the floating plant, water house-leek ? 

 2* 



