ALISMACE^i. (WATER- PLANTAIN FAMILY.) 555 



^ or ^ the length of the sterile ; claws of the petals purple-tinged ; filaments 

 not longer than the anthers ; and achenes almost orbicular, very broadly winged 

 and with a short straight beak. 



Var. pubescens, Engelm. Upper part of petiole and scape and espe- 

 cially the orbicular-ovate obtuse bracts and sepals pubescent or woolly ; beak 

 of fruit horizontal. N. J. and Penn. to Ga. 



Var. (?) gracilis, Engelm. Lobes of the sagittate leaves very narrowly 

 linear ( J - 2" wide) ; achene narrowly cuneate-obovate (2" long), the beak long, 

 stout, and strongly recurved, the sides usually strongly 1 -3-crested. (S. cris- 

 tata, Engelm* } Mass, to western N. Y. ; Iowa. 



2. S. lancif 61ia, L. Scape 2-5 high, with several of the lower whorls 

 fertile ; leaves lanceolate or lance-oblong, rarely linear, all with a tapering 

 base, thick or coriaceous (6-18' long and on a long and stout petiole, never 

 sagittate), the nerves mostly arising from the very thick midrib ; bracts ovate, 

 acute or acuminate; pedicels slender, the fertile scarcely shorter than the 

 sterile ones; filaments pubescent; achenes falcate, winged on the back, 

 pointed with an incurved beak. Swamps, Md. to Ky., Mo., and southward. 

 (W.Ind.) 



# # Filaments very short, with enlarged mostly glandular base ; anthers ovate or 

 short-oblong ; fruiting heads small ; bracts more or less connate ; leaves very 

 rarely sagittate. 



3. S. heteroph^lla, Pursh. Scape weak (3' - 2 high), at length pro- 

 cumbent ; leaves lanceolate or lance-oval, entire, or with one or two narrow 

 basal sagittate appendages ; bracts roundish, obtuse ; flowers of the lowest 

 whorl fertile and almost sessile; the sterile on long pedicels.; filaments glan- 

 dular-pubescent ; achenes narrowly obovate with a long erect beak. N. Eng. to 

 Fla., west to Minn, and Mo. Varies as to foliage, the leaves being broad 

 (var. ELLfpxiCA, Engelm.), or rigid and narrowly lanceolate with stout peti- 

 oles (var. RfGiDA, Engelm.), or nearly linear (var. ANGUSTIF6LIA, Engelm.) 



4. S. graminea, Michx. Scape 3' - 2 high ; phyllodia flat, mostly 

 broadly linear, acuminate; leaves ovate-lanceolate to linear, on long slender 

 petioles, sometimes reduced to the petiole merely ; bracts rather obtuse ; whorls 

 of flowers often few, all staminate or the lower fertile ; pedicels slender, spread- 

 ing, nearly equal ; filaments 15- 20, glandular-pubescent ; achene small (-" long), 

 narrowly obovate, almost beakless, winged on the back, flat and scarcely costate 

 on the sides. N. Eng. to Minn., south to the Gulf; very variable. 



5. S. t&T6S, Watson. Phyllodia terete, very acutely attenuate upward, 3 - 

 12' long, very rarely bearing a narrow blade; scape i-H high; bracts con- 

 nate at base ; pedicels in 1 - 3 whorls, all very slender and spreading, 1 or 2 

 fruiting, - 1' long; filaments 12, dilated, pubescent; achene obovate, 1" long, 

 with an erect beak, the margins and sides crenately several-crested. In shallow 

 water, S. New Eng. to N. J. (Hyannis, Mass., Deane; Wading River, L. I., 

 Miller ; barrens of N. J., Torrey.) Phyllodia usually very strongly nodose. 



6. S. natans, Michx., var. lorata, Chapm. Usually dwarf; leaves lin- 

 ear, strap-shaped, obtuse or acutish, 1-6' long, equalling or shorter than the 

 scape, very rarely with a narrow blade ; pedicels in 1 - 3 whorls, only 1 or 2 

 fruiting, stouter and recurved ; bracts connate or spathe-like ; filaments 6-8, 

 glabrous; achene obovate, short-beaked, I" long, the margins and sides crenately 



