NELUMBONACEAE 455 



Leaf-blades dissected except the inconspicuous floating ones : petals auricled: carpels 2-4. 1. CABOMBA. 

 Leaf-blades all entire : petals entire : carpels 4-18. 2. BRASENIA. 



1. CABOMBA Aubl. 



Weak, slender aquatic mucilage-coated herbs, with branching stems. Leaves of two 

 forms : submerged opposite or whorled, divided into numerous filiform segments : floating 

 with peltate blades. Flowers white or yellow, small, solitary on long axillary pedicels 

 Sepals 3, petal-like. Petals 3, similar to the sepals, but auricled near the base. Stamens 

 6, inserted with the petals : filaments subulate : anthers extrorse. Pistils 2-4, usually 3, 

 inserted on a small receptacle : style short : stigma terminal, depressed. Ovules usually 

 3, pendulous. Fruit leathery, indehiscent. Seeds 1-3 in each carpel. 



1. Cabomba Caroliniana A. Gray. Perennial, bright green. Stems submersed, 1-2 

 m. long, branched : leaves of two kinds ; submersed opposite or whorled, 4-7 cm. long ; 

 blades petioled, cut into repeatedly forking narrowly-linear or filiform segments ; floating 

 leaves with peltate linear-oblong blades, 1.5-2 cm. long, the ends obtuse : flowers on pedi- 

 cels 3-6 cm. long, arising from the upper axils, about 1-1.5 cm. broad : sepals and petals 

 obovate, white or yellow at the base, or sometimes deep pink, truncate or retuse at the 

 apex : stamens about as long as the petals : fruit a cluster of 3 flask-shaped carpels. 



In ponds and slow flowing water, Missouri to North Carolina, Florida and Texas. Spring and 

 summer. 



2. BRASENIA Schreb. 



Slender mucilage-coated perennial aquatic herbs, with long branching stems. Leaves 

 mostly floating : blades peltate on elongated petioles, leathery. Flowers small, dull purple, 

 solitary at the ends of long axillary pedicels : sepals 3, colored within. Petals 3, narrow, 

 recurving. Stamens 12-18 : filaments filiform or subulate. Pistils 4-8, distinct, inserted 

 on a small receptacle. Style subulate. Ovules 2-3, pendulous. Fruit leathery, indehis- 

 cent. Seeds 1-2 in each fruit. WATER-SHIELD. 



1. Brasenia purpurea (Michx. ) Gasp. Rootstocks slender, the submersed foliage 

 mucilage-coated. Leaf-blades on delicate petioles, leathery, centrally peltate, oval, ob- 

 long or elliptic, 5-12 cm. long, rounded at each end, floating, bright green and shining 

 above, often purple beneath : flowers purple, long-pedicelled : sepals linear or linear- 

 lanceolate, 1-1.5 cm. long, obtuse or acutish : petals like the sepals : stamens exserted : 

 fruit 5-8 mm. long, the body rounded, the beak angled. [ Brasenia peltata Pursh.] 



In ponds, lakes and slow streams, Nova Scotia to Manitoba, Florida and Texas. Summer. Also 

 in Cuba and Central America, and on the Pacific slope. 



FAMILY 7. NELUMBONACEAE Lindl. 1 LOTUS FAMILY. 



Perennial aquatic herbs, with large creeping rootstocks. Leaves alternate : 

 blades suborbicular, centrally peltate, concave, floating or emersed on long stout 

 petioles. Scapes arising with the petioles, stout, each terminated by a single per- 

 fect showy flower. Sepals and petals similar, hypogynous, numerous, imbri- 

 cated, inner larger and more highly colored than the outer, all deciduous. An- 

 droecium of numerous long hypogynous stamens. Anthers narrow, extrorse, 

 the connective prolonged into an incurved appendage. Gynoecium of several 

 carpels separately immersed in an obconic enlargement of the receptacle. Ovary 

 1-celled. Style very short. Stigma umbilicate. Ovules solitary or rarely 2, 

 suspended. Fruit several nuts immersed in the accrescent receptacle. Seeds 

 without endosperm. Embryo consisting of 2 thick cotyledonary bodies, enclos- 

 ing a plumule of 2-3 developing leaves. 



1. NELTJMBO Adans. 



Characters of the family. WATER CHINQUAPIN. DUCK ACORN. 



1. Nelumbo lutea (Willd.) Pers. Kootstock horizontal, stout. Foliage bright green. 

 Emersed leaves with centrally peltate orbicular strongly ribbed blades, sometimes stand- 

 ing high above the water on stout petioles, or floating, the margins more or less turned up- 

 ward : peduncles stout, 1-2 m. tall : flowers pale yellow, 1-2.5 dm. broad : petals obovate 



1 Originally spelled NELUMBIACE^:. 



