42 THE PICKEREL-WEED FAMILY. 



come sadl}^ faded when they have lived but a single day. The flowers show 

 the peculiarity of being trimorphous quite as strongly as do those of 

 Lythrufu Salicaria. 



WATER=HYAC1NTH. {Plate XIV.) 

 Piaropus crdssipes, 



FAMILY COLOUR ODOUR RANGE TIME OF BLOOM 



Pickerel-weed. Pinkish lavender. Scentless. St. John s River., Fla.^ etc. April-October. 



Flowers: growing closely in an oblong spike at the end of a short, pubescent 

 peduncle, and having a sheathing bract at the base. Perianth : labiate, the upper 

 lip three divided, the middle lobe broader than the other and marked with tur- 

 quoise and sapphire blue, and having a deep yellow spot in the centre; the lower 

 lip also three divided and spreading. Stamens: six, the three lower ones in the 

 throat with long, hairy filaments and up-curved anthers; the three upper ones 

 very short and often imperfect. Pistil: one. Leaves: floating by means of en- 

 larged petioles in a rosette on the surface of the water (the petioles swollen at their 

 bases, and filled as bladders with air) broadly orbicular, often with a short, abrupt 

 point at the apex; entire ; somewhat rough on the upper surface; fleshy. Roots : 

 occasionally two feet long ; fibrous; bushy; floating or attached to the ground in 

 shallow water. 



In rounded, floating clumps, like green mats on the surface of the water 

 we first saw this remarkable plant ; for the river at this point was broad, and 

 they were bits that had broken away from their moorings and were drifting 

 wherever the wind directed them, being well upheld by the air in their 

 inflated petioles. But as we came to narrower stretches of the river we 

 saw them growing along the shores in unbroken lines by the acres. Every- 

 where the eye rested upon them. And far into the marshy land they 

 extended. Many of the plants were still in bloom and carpeted the calm 

 water with a soft tint of pinkish lavender,. Their extreme beauty cannot be 

 gainsaid nor that it adds a wonderful light to the St. John's. 



About twelve years ago, Mr. Fuller, who lived along the river near Pa- 

 latka, imported this plant from India and had it growing in a lake on his 

 grounds. Here it increased so rapidly that to rid himself of a superabun- 

 dance of it he threw a number of plants into the river. At that time there 

 was not one of them growing on its surface, but there were many white 

 water lilies. No sooner, however, had the hyacinths felt the warmth of this 

 humid stream, than they recognised its peculiar character as being well 

 adapted to their needs and here they have established their kingdom. In 

 the shallow water their fibrous roots delve in the ground, and form an 

 anchorage. Then so close and interwoven is their growth that they stretch 

 outward in floaty masses, which gradually become detached and are drifted 

 hither and thither. From St. Francis to Lake George, a distance of twenty- 

 five miles, they at one time blocked the river and greatly impeded naviga- 

 tion, They are also a nuisance in upholding objectionable organic matter. 



