204 A NATURE WOOING. 



fibrous roots, ten feet in circumference and three or 

 four feet above the water's level. These root masses 

 resemble haycocks, with the tall, straight stem rising 

 from their apex a stem devoid of branch, devoid of 

 bark and with only a tuft of leaves at the top most 

 striking of the vegetable kingdom along the river 

 when growing thus. 



An aquatic plant which is exceedingly abundant in 

 all the inlets and bays opening into the upper two- 

 thirds of the St. John's, as well as bordering the 

 shores everywhere along its slower flowing stretches, 

 is the water hyacinth, Piaropus crassipes Mart. It is 

 a native of tropical South America, and on account 

 of its clusters of handsome, light blue flowers, was 

 introduced into the southern United States. Here it 

 has flourished so freely that it has become a serious 

 menace to navigation ; so much so, indeed, that it has 

 been the subject of special legislation by Congress, 

 and has been treated in a special bulletin of the U. S. 

 Division of Botany.* 



The plant is aquatic and is usually found floating 

 on the surface of the water. The roots may, however, 

 attach themselves to the soft mud along the banks 

 and the plant thus become fixed. In such a location, 

 however, they are usually dwarfed in size, and if the 

 soil becomes comparatively dry the plants will soon 

 die. 



*"The Water Hyacinth and its Relation to Navigation in Florida." 

 Bull. No. 18, U. S. Division of Botany, 1897. 



