238 



FLORA OF JAMAICA 



Nasturtium 



Water Cress. 



In fl. April-May; in perennial riwilets; Sloane ; Perry and other 

 places, Browne; Macfadyen; Mavis Bank, Johnsonl — Bermuda, Cuba, 

 Porto Rico, St. Thomas, St. Cruz, Dominica, Martinique, St. Vincent, 

 throughout the whole world. 



Perennial aquatic. Stem decumbent below, rooting at the nodes, erect 

 above, ^-2 ft. (and more). Leaves pinnate, lower 5-10 cm. 1., leaflets 



Fig. 98. — Nasturtium fontanum Aachen. 



A, Leaf from base ot plant x h 



B, Upper portion of flowering branch x §. 



C, Flower x 4. 



D, Stamens and receptacle x 4. 



E, Siliqiia slightly enlarged. 



F, Seed X 8. 



G, Embryo x 8. 



B, Seed cut across X 8. c, cotyledona ; 

 r, radicle. 



1-5 pairs, terminal leaflet broadest and largest, roundish, 1-3-5 cm. in 

 diam. Flowers 3-5-4; mm. 1. Sepals 2 mm. 1. Petals white. Disk- 

 glands 4. Siliqua -6-1*5 cm. 1. Seed about 1 mm. 1. 



N. heterophyllum Blume, Bijdr. 50 (1825), is a weed in 

 Castleton Gardens, but we do not know of its occurrence 

 elsewhere in the island. The leaves are denticulate, obovate or 

 rhomboid, sublyrate, the lower stalked, the highest sessile ; the 

 flowers are greenish-yellow, petals wanting ; the siliquas are 

 somewhat terete, elongate, strict. 



2. CARDAMINE L. 



Leaves generally pinnatisect. Flowers purple or white. 

 Sepals equal at base. Petals clawed or narrowed to base. 

 Siliqua linear, compressed, valves flat, nerveless, separating 



