24 POLYAXDRIA. PoLYGINIA. 



56, about the lengih of the calix. Utriculi ob- 

 long, 6 to 9; 2-sce(!o(l. 



An aquatic plant, with alternate, entire elliptic peltate 

 floating Itaves, at lirst as wr-U as itie fkAvers and youni^- 

 er shoots cnvel(j;,ed by a tenaceous and g'<:'llatinous tlu d; 

 peduncles solitaiy, i-flowcred, flower brown. Siylt- s 

 none. Stigma simple, lateral, linear, on tlie inner side 

 (uhnost similar to tluit of Spar^anium). Seeds pcjiduluus 

 froni the dorsal suture. 



Species. 1. 15. peltata. 0ns. Stem, petiole, and pe- 

 duncle cylindric, covered with an ii:>conspicuous fictccu- 

 lerit pubescence immersed in a gellatinous sulistance, 

 \vi>ich at first envelopes the youn|_f leaves and flowers. 

 Stem furnished with 2 sets of confluent central vessels, 

 and also with external circles of filiform tubes, tubes in 

 each circle 9 to 12; ganglions of central vessels about 4 

 in each ser, eacli set separated by an empty tube; numer- 

 ous longitudinal purple nbres are inter.>])ersed with the 

 exterior circle of tubes, appearing at length to inoscu- 

 late on the under side of the leaf giving it a purple coUmr, 

 £S well as the s'.em, petiole, peduncle, petals, stamina and 

 st}les, tlicre being nothing in fact green in the wholri 

 plant except tlie upper surface of the leaf. The central 

 vessels arrived in the leaf, from tiieir eceentricity and dori' 

 hie order, communicate to ii an elegant and almost exactly 

 elliptic form, and finally resolve into about 12 nerves. In 

 the pedun.cle tlicre are 3 t;Hngrions of cential vessels se- 

 parated from CL^cii other bv interrupted circles of aerial 

 tubes. — Sd. Obs. As tlie eliipt'c form of tiiC leaf origin- 

 ates from the eccentricity and duplicature of the central 

 vessels, expanding in an ellipse or 2 intersecting circles, 

 so we ma\- justly consider it as a species of double leaf, 

 hence also ilie stamina and the fruit is in the same man- 

 ner augtr.ented. In its coordinate Caboviba which produ- 

 ces orbicular peltate leaves, we find only 6 stamina instead 

 of 18, 2 or 3 styles and capsules in place of 6 or more, bvit 

 containing the same number of seeds and of nearly the 

 same form. — Hence we perceive the same type in its sin^- 

 ple form! A proof of tiie small imporianc^ of mere num- 

 ber in the character of clasises or of natiir:il groupes. 



There exists not the smallest afHnity betwixt this very 

 singular plant and Cultha it is equ?lly removed from eve- 

 ry other genus of the H \:<uncuj.ace^j and its place in 

 the natural system has been well defined by the ingeni- 

 ous and indeliiiiuable Hichurd. V. Annales du ^iuscum 

 17. t. 5. f. 22- " ■ 



