168 



MENYANTHACE^E. I. MENYANTHES. II. VILLARSIA . 



3 M. CRISTA'TA (Roxb. cor. 2. p. 3. t. 105.) leaves radical, 

 petiolate, cordate, undulately crenulated on the edges ; petioles 

 viviparous and floriferous below the leaves; pedicels several to- 

 gether, umbellate ; segments of corolla undulately jagged, 

 crested lengthwise. 1. W. S. Native of the East Indies, 

 floating in pools of sweet water, in which the roots often do not 

 reach the bottom. Cumuda, Roxb. asiat. res. 4. p. 254. 

 Tsjeroea Citambel, Rheed. mal. 11. p. 57. t. 29. It is called 

 by the Bengalese Chooli, and by the Telingas Antara-Tamara. 

 Leaves variable in size, purplish green on the upper side. 

 Petioles various in length, and on the upper side about 2 inches 

 below the leaf, there is a viviparous tuberosity, which produces 

 the flowers as well as other leaves and roots ; the old leaf and 

 the parent petiole decaying, leave this a new plant, each petiole 

 in succession doing the same. Pedicels many, 1 -flowered from 

 tl'.e above-mentioned tuberosity, sufficiently long to raise the 

 flowers above the water, afterwards they drop into the water, 

 and there ripen their seeds. Flowers pure white, about an inch 

 in diameter. Corona triple : the exterior one consisting of 

 white ramose filaments, crowning the mouth of the tube, as in 

 Nerium ; the middle one of 5 beautiful yellow glandular bodies, 

 which nearly fill the mouth of the tube, standing alternately 

 with the filaments ; and the interior one of 5 hairy yellow 

 bodies, surrounding the base of the ovarium. Seeds compressed, 

 scabrous. 



Crested-flowered Buckbean. PI. floating. 



Cult. The species are all elegant aquatic plants. The first spe- 

 cies is of the most easy culture, requiring only to be planted 

 or thrown into a pond, where it will grow freely ; the second, 

 being only a bog plant, will require to be grown in a pot filled 

 with peat earth, and the pot placed in a deep pan of water : it 

 will require protection from severe frost in winter, by placing it 

 in a greenhouse or frame ; but should it become plentiful, it 

 may be planted in a natural or artificial bog in the open air, 

 where it will probably endure our winters. The third species, 

 being a native of a warm country, will require to be kept in a 

 cistern or tub of water in a stove. 



II. VILLA'RSIA (named in honour of D. Villars, a cele- 

 brated French botanist; author of Histoire des Plantes du 

 Dauphine, 3 vols. 8vo. Grenoble, 1786-1 788, &c.) Vent, choix. 

 no. 9. p. 2. R. Br. prod. p. 456. H. B. et Kunth, nov. 

 gen. amer. 3. p. 187. Waldschmidia, Wigg. Nymphoides, 

 Tourn. hist. t. 67. Menyanthes species, Lin. and others. Lam. 

 ill. t. 100. f. 2. 



LIN. SYST. Pentdndria, Monogynia. Calyx 5 -parted. Co- 

 rolla subrotate ; with a spreading limb ; segments with a flat 

 disk, bearded or squamulose at the base, with ascending margins. 

 Stigma 2-lobed ; lobes toothed. Hypogynous glands 5. Cap- 

 sule 1 -celled, 2-valved, or valveless. Seeds girded by a mem- 

 branous margin, or naked, fixed to the edges of the valves in 

 a double row. Floating aquatic plants or marsh herbs. Leaves 

 alternate, rarely opposite, entire, or toothed, usually dotted be- 

 neath. Flowers axillary, or seated on the petioles, subumbel- 

 late, or in terminal panicles. Corolla usually yellow ; margins 

 of segments fringed or entire. 



SECT. I. AQUA'TIC^;. Capsule valveless. Floaliny mater 

 plants. 



1. Flowers terminal. 



1 V. NYMPHOIDES (Vent, choix. no. 9. p. 2.) natant; leaves 

 opposite, cordate-orbicular, or orbicularly reniform, repand ; 

 umbels sessile, terminal, or in the forks of the stem ; segments 

 of corolla ciliated. 2. VV. H. Native of Europe, as of 

 Denmark, Holland, Sweden, Germany, Piedmont ; and of Sibe- 



ria, in ditches and slow running streams. In England, as in the 

 Thames, particularly in little recesses of the shores near Walton 

 Bridge, near Botley Bridge, Godstowbridge, and Hinksey Ferry; 

 and in the fens near Ely, frequent, &c. Menyanthes nym- 

 phoides, Lin. spec. 207. syst. 194. Smith, engl. bot. t. 217. 

 Oed. fl. dan. 337. Sabb. hort. 2. p. 67. Smith, fl. graec. 1. 

 p. 128. t. 446. Jaume, St. Hil. 12. livr. t. 6. Limnanthemum 

 peltatum, Gmel. act. petrop 1769. 14. p. 567. t. 17. f. 2. 

 Meynanthes natans, I/am. fl. fr. 2. p. 203. Waldschmidia nym- 

 phoicles, Wigg. prim. p. 20. Drev. et Hayne, abb. zergl. 1. 

 p 33. t. 6. Schweyckherta nymphoides, Gmel. 1. p. 417. 

 Dalech. hist. 1010. f. 1. Petiv. brit. t. 71. f. 4. Stem dicho- 

 tomous, creeping under water. Leaves of a livid colour be- 

 neath, and dotted. Corolla yellow ; segments bearded at bottom. 

 Seeds ciliated. 



Nyntphcea-like Villarsia. Fl. June, July. Britain. PI. fl. 



2 V. OVA'TA (Vent, choix. t. 9.) erect; leaves ovate, erect; 

 flowers racemosely panicled ; segments of corolla ciliated. 

 %. B. G. Native of the Cape of Good Hope, in boggy 

 watery places. Sims, bot. mag. 1909. Menyanthes ovata, 

 Lin. syst. 194. suppl. 133. Pers. ench. 1. p. 171. Menyanthes 

 Capensis, Thunb. prod. p. 34. Renealmia Capensis, Houtt. pfl. 

 syst. 4. p. 319. t. 47. f. 1.? Leaves elliptic, obtuse, from the 

 neck of the root, full of pellucid dots, with subundulated edges, 

 and obscure glands. Stem longer than the leaves, furnished 

 with 2-3 leaves at base, but naked and panicled at top. Corollas 

 of an orange yellow colour. Perhaps belonging to the section 

 Paludosce. 



Orte-leaved Villarsia. Fl. May, July. Clt. 1786. PI. 

 1-2 feet. 



2. Petioles bearing the flowers below the leaves. 



3 V. PELTA'TA (Roam, et Schultes, syst. 4. p. 178.) floating; 

 leaves peltate ; petioles bearing the flowers beneath the leaves. 

 If.. W. H. Native of Japan, floating in water. Menyanthes 

 peltata, Thunb. nov. act. ups. 7. p. 142. t. 4. f. 2. Menyan- 

 thes nymphoides, Thunb. fl. jap. p. 82. Leaves nearly orbi- 

 cular, thin, glabrous, broader than long. 



Peltate-leaved Villarsia. PI. floating. 



4 V. I'NDICA (Vent, choix. p. 9. Hook. bot. misc. 3. p. 97. t. 

 30.) floating; leaves reniformly orbicular, coriaceous, repand, 3- 

 nerved, or many-nerved, scabrous from scrobicles beneath ; pedi- 

 cels elongated, umbellate from the tops of the petioles, scabrous ; 

 segments of corolla hairy at top; capsule round, crusiaceous; 

 seeds globose, echinated, ex Hook. ; roundish, compressed, size 

 of millet, with a shining crustaceous testa, ex D. Don. I/ . 

 W. S. Native of the East Indies, and the Cape of Good Hope, 

 floating in sweet water lakes. Menyanthes I'ndica, Lin. fl. 

 zeyl. spec. 207. Roxb. fl. ind. 2. p. 31. M. macrophylla, 

 Roth. nov. spec. p. 105. Thunb. fl. cap. 167. Cumada or 

 Cumud, Jones, in asiat. res. 4. p. 254. no. 30. Neclel-Ambel, 

 Rheed. mal. 10. p. 55. t. 28. Nymphae'a Ceramica, Rumph. 

 amb. 6. p. 173. t. 72. f. 3. Corolla with a yellow tube, and 

 white segments. Petioles floriferous and viviparous, as in Meny- 

 nanthes cristata. Segments of corolla lanceolate, the upper 

 side clothed with long white hairs their whole length. Stigma 

 3-lobed, curled. Antara-Tamara is the Telinga name of the 

 plant, and Bura-chooli is the Bengalee name. Leaves very 

 variable in size ; having the hind lobes connivent. 



Indian Villarsia. Fl. May, Aug. Clt. 1792. PI. floating. 



5 V. MINOR (D. Don, mss.) natant ; leaves reniformly orbi- 

 cular, smooth beneath : having the hind lobes divaricate ; pe- 

 duncles smooth, short ; capsule globose, crustaceous. l/.W.S. 

 Native of the Himalaiah. Plant 4 times smaller in every part 

 than V. I'ndica. 



Smaller Villarsia. PI. floating. 



