BUR REED FAMILY. Sparganiacex. 



in Nantucket, and along the N. J. coast, and is reported 

 at Mt. Equinox, Vt., by Miss Mary A. Day. 



BUR REED FAMILY. Sparganiacece. 

 Marsh herbs with flowers arranged like those of Typha 

 but collected in separate spherical heads. Largely self- 

 fertilizing, but assisted in the process by aquatic insects 

 and flies. 



G t B R ed ^^^^ deep green leaves are similar to those 

 Sparganiuiii ot the foregoing species and are about f 

 eurycarpum inch wide. The downy flowers are in 

 Brown=white dense round heads scattered along the top 

 May-August ^^ ^j^^ ^^^^^^^ ^^^ j.j^^ ^-^^^^ ^^ ^j^^ cat-tails 



consist of the two kinds, staminate and pistillate, abso- 

 lutely separated. The green fruit is a burlike sphere 

 composed of nutlets wedge-shaped below, and flattened 

 above with an abrupt point in the centre, so that tlie 

 general appearance of its surface is not unlike that of 

 the pineapple. The name is from 67tdpyavov, a band, in 

 allusion to the ribbonlike leaves. The plant is 3-7 feet 

 high, and is common on the borders of ponds and rivers 

 from Me. , south to Va. , and west. 



This is a much smaller species with nar- 

 Smaller Bur , , . , , 



l^ggjj rower leaves, and a snnple stem and row 



Sparganium of flower-heads. The green fruit is about 



simplex I inch in diameter, with a decidedly bur- 



Brown=white j^^^ appearance, the nutlets tapering to a 



point at either end, and the upper point 

 being much longer than that of the fruit in the preced- 

 ing species. The plant is 1-2 feet high, and is generally 

 in the water, erect or sometimes afloat ; it is found from 

 Me. to N. J., and west to Minn. 



This familiar variety, which is common 

 Branching in all bogs, is larger than the foregoing 



Bur Reed in many respects, and it is distinguished 



Sparganium f^j. j^g branching and somewhat angular 

 Brown=white Aower-stem ; the latter grows out at the 

 June-August point where the leaf is joined with the 



plant-stem. The plant is 1-2 feet high, 

 and is distributed from Me., south, and west to Minn. 

 The sparganiums are all peculiarly decorative plants. 



