Wild Flowers East of the Rockies 21 



BUR REED FAMILY (Sparganiaceae). 



The Bur Reeds are marsh inhabiting plants, 

 some growing along the muddy shores of ponds or 

 streams, while other species are strictly aquatic, 

 growing in the water with floating leaves. Like the 

 Cat-tails they are not in the least dependent upon in- 

 sects for fertilization. The two kinds of flowers, 

 staminate and pistillate are always in separate spheri- 

 cal clusters, usually alternately arranged along 

 the stem. While the upper flowers are developing, 

 the middle ones are in full bloom and the lower ones 

 have been transformed into spherical prickly fruit. 

 Several varieties of Bur Reed are recognized, the 

 ones here mentioned being the most common and the 

 most characteristic. 



GREAT BUR-REED (Sparganium eurycarpum) is 

 stout and erect, two to three feet in height. The 

 mature heads, or fruit, are about one inch across; 

 composed of wedge-shaped nutlets arranged in the 

 form of a sphere, giving the outside a corrugated 

 appearance similiar to the surface of a pineapple. 

 The basal leaves are similar to those of the Cat-tail 

 and clasp the stems at their bases. These plants 

 are found in the whole of the U. S. and southern 

 Canada, flowering from June to August. 



SMALL BUR REED (S. simplex) is smaller in 

 every respect; leaves shorter and narrower and the 

 greenish fruit head less than 3-4 in. in diameter; 

 the nutlets are very sharply pointed. This species 

 is found in northern U. S. and southern Canada. 



BRANCHING BUR REED (S. androcladum) throws 

 off several weak flower-bearing branches from the 

 angles of the upper leaves. 



LEAST BUR REED (S. minimum) is slender and 

 ten to eighteen inches high; leaves grass-like, float- 

 ing on the water; northern U. S. and Canada. 



