THE WATER-PLANTAIN FAMILY. 25 



Often we saw these most exquisite blossoms fairly transforming the swamps 

 along the St. John's River into white masses as soft and fleecy as clouds. 

 And there the plants grew to so great a size that the old story of carrying an 

 axe about to chop down the southern tlora was constantly in our minds. 

 Many of the blossoms were fully an inch and a half across, and the petals 

 displayed, as tliey unfolded, a daintily crinkled outline. So large were the 

 leaves, and their great petiole so formidable that although we had bent the 

 strength of' an Amazon to taking up one of the plants, we had afterwards 

 some doubt as to knowing what to do with it. Never before had we seen 

 the species growing to such a size. It appeared calm and upright, placid 

 even beside a slumbering alligator. 



Although nowhere very common these water plants are readily known by 

 their manner of growth and are among the most graceful of those that deck 

 the muddy ditches or swamps. 



S. longirostra, long-beaked arrow-head, which is so called from the stout 

 beak which terminates the achenes, has a range extending from Alabama to 

 Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Its sagittate leaves are noticeably broad, 

 often measuring four and a half inches or more across their widest part. 

 At their apices they are rounded to an abrupt point while the basal lobes 

 are long and ovate-lanceolate in outline. The flowers closely resemble those 

 of the preceding species. There is, however, no cobweb-like pubescence on 

 their filaments. 



5. hit if alia, broad-leaved arrow-head, is perhaps the most generally dis- 

 tributed species that we have, and is mostly a gay inhabitant of ditches. It 

 bears sagittate leaves, very variable, however, in shape and size. On the 

 receptacle the numerous ovules are noticed to be arranged in a spiral fashion. 



5. pialypJijlla, ovate-leaved sagittaria, inhabits places with shallow water 

 from Mississippi and Texas to southern Missouri. Its leaves, which are 

 generally ovate, occur also oblong and ovate-lanceolate and seldom measure 

 more than six inches in length. In fruit, the fertile pedicels become reflexed. 



5. MoJu'ii has its scape crowned with dainty flowers which appear to be 

 less overshadowed with foliage than do many of the species, for in outline, 

 the leaves are very slender, almost linear. It may be found growing about 

 ponds and ditches in southern Alabama, where a few years ago it was dis- 

 covered by Dr. Charles Mohr, and afterwards described and named for him 

 by Mr. J. G. Smith. 



S. subuldta nataiis, arrow-grass, is a submerged plant with floating leaves, 

 and a very different appearing one than the larger species which have 

 already been mentioned. It is often fully grown and in bloom when but a 

 few inches high, depending on the depth of the water, and at its best seldom 

 attains over three feet. In either case, however, the amateur can readily 



