686 



Plants of the Punjab. 



WATEK PLANTS. 

 Hbrbs with Alternate Exstipulate Simple Leaves. 



Petals united. 



Ipomsea aquatica, 



Ganthian, nari, nali. 



CoNVOLVULACEiB. 



F. B. I. iv. 210. 

 The Plains. 



annual, smooth, stems lyhig on mud or fioatmg on 

 water, hollow ; leaves 3-6 in., stalk 1-6 in.,- generally long, 

 oblong-heart-shaped, or forked at the base, eutire or 

 angular, almost lobed ; flowers 2 in., pale purple, on 

 1-5-flpwered stalks, 2-7 in. long, minor flower stalks long, 

 1-2 in., bracts small, sepals 5, | in. long, almost equal, 

 smooth, corolla 5-plaited, margin very shortly lobed, 

 smooth, stamens 5, included ; capsule | in., ovoid, 4-2- 

 seeded, smooth, seeds minutely closely silky. The leaves 

 are eaten as a vegetable, the dry juice forms an excellent 

 purgative. 



Petals none. 



Monoehoria 

 hastsefolia, 



Pontederiacb^. 

 F. B. I. vi. 362. 

 The Plains. 



Monoehoria 

 vaginalis, 



Pontederiaobjb. 

 F. B. L vi. 363. 

 The Plains to 

 5,000 ft. 

 Kashmir. 



rootstock creeping, spongy ; leaves 6-7 by 6-6 in. 

 arrow-shaped, long-stalked, erect or floating, blunt or 

 short-tipped, many nerved, stalk of the floral leaf swollen 

 above, clasping the short main flower stalk, stalks of the 

 basal leaves 18-24 in., broad and sheathing at the base ; 

 flowers f-1 in. diam., violet blue, dotted with red, long- 

 stalked in racemes, calyx petaloid, bell-shaped, segments 6 

 unequal, larger ovate with a broad tip, smaller oblong, 

 spurred, longest one with blue anther, the rest yellow, 

 capsule I in., nearly round or oblong, seeds small. 



like the last species, but rootstock short, nearly 

 erect, leaves Inear to ovate and ovate-heart-shaped, 

 few nerved, flowers short-stalked in spikes rather than 

 racemes. 



Typha angustata, 

 Reed Mace, Lesser 

 Cats' Tail, 



Patira, kundar, pitz. 

 Typhace^. 

 P. B. L vi. 589. 

 The Plains to 

 5,000 ft. 

 Kashmir. 



lower part o' stem is a thick rhizome, stem 6-10 ft., 

 projects high out of the water ; leaves |-1 in. broad, linear 

 erect or floating, spongy, half cylindric above the sheath ; 

 flowers in very dense cylindric spikes (catkins), upper 

 part yellow of male flowers, lower brown of female flowers, 

 male flowers consist of 2-5 stamens, enclosed in a number 

 of hairs, female flowers consist of one carpel, one persistent 

 style enclosed in hairs ; achenes minute, membranous, 

 covered with a tuft of hairs. The leaves are used for 

 matting, the young shoots and roots are eaten. 



