678 ORDER 135. ALISMACE^E. 



cellate; bracts broad-ovate, shoft-pointed; fil. hairy, longer than the anthers ; acli. 

 obovate-falcate. River swamps, Conn. ? Va. to Fla. and La. (Hale). Stalks stout, 

 3f or more, according to the depth of water. Leaves thick and leathery, 8 to 14', 

 the veins diverging from the midvein, crossed by the veinlets. Fls. white, showy. 

 (3. falcate Ph.) 



P. 1 Very slender, erect, with nearly linear leaves ; bracts and sep. scabrous. 

 La. to Tex. 



4 S. gramfnea MX. Lvs. ovate-lanceolate, varying to linear, rarely sagittate; 

 scape erect, slender, longer than the leaves ; lower whorls fertile ; all the pedicels 

 slender, equal ; filaments short as the anthers ; ach. beakless. In shallow water 

 or mud, common. Lvs. commonly very narrow, attenuate-pointed, 4 to 12' or 

 more. Scape 5 to 20' in height, the pedicels 1' or less. Flowers small, 8 or 9 ' 

 diam., white; stam. few. The forms with lance-ovate leaves constitute a well 

 marked variety. (S. simplex, Ed. 2.) 



5 S. pusilla Nutt. Petioles (leaves ?) short, linear, oltuse, summits only folia- 

 ceous ; scape simple, shorter than the leaves ; fis. few, fertile one solitary, deflexed ; 

 4am. mostly T. A diminutive species on muddy banks, K Y. to Ga. Leaves rarely 

 subulate, an inch or two long, less than a line wide. Scape 2 4' high. Flowers 

 4 7, the lowest one only fertile. Aug. 



G S. natans MX. Lvs. floating, oval-lanceolate, obtuse, 3-veined, tapering to the 

 base, lower ones subcordate ; scape simple, few-flowered ; lower ped. elongated. 

 In water, Penn. (MuMenberg) to Car. Scape mostly erect, 3 G' long. Leaves 

 1 2' long. Flowers few, small, the upper sterile (Elliot)'. 



7 S. uliginosa Engelm. Lvs. oval-sagittate, rounded-obtuse, lobes triangular; 

 scapes several, as tall (6 10') as the Ivs ; fls. in pairs, the lower pair (fertile) on 

 thick pedicels, longer than the upper; bracts obtuse; ach. broad-obovate, long- 

 pointed. St. Louis, perhaps not within our limits. 



4. TRIGLCTCHIN, L. ARROW GRASS. (Gr. Tp/V, three, yAw^V? a 

 corner ; on account of the 3-angled fruit.) Sepals and petals concave, 

 deciduous, the former inserted a little below the latter; stamens 6, vejy 

 short; anthers large, extrorse ; ovaries 1-ovuled ; stigmas adnate ; fruit 

 clavate, composed of 3 *6 united, indehiscent, 1 -seeded carpels. 2 Lvs. 

 grass-like, all radical. 



1 T. maritimum L. Fruit ovate-oblong, grooved, 0/6 united carpels ; scape longer 

 than the leaves. A rush-like plant in salt marshes and ditches on the sea-coast, 

 and at Salina, N. Y., also lake shores, Wis. ! Leaves linear, semi-cylindric, smooth, 

 thick, 6 12' long, less than a line wide. Scape obtusely angled, simple, 9 18' 

 long, bearing a long raceme of 3040 green flowers on pedicels 1 2" long. 

 Fruit separating into 6 linear carpels, each containing a linear seed. The plant 

 has a sweetish taste, and cattle are fond of it. July. 



2 T. palustre L. Fruit nearly linear, of 3 united carpels; scape scarcely longer 

 than the leaves. In marshes, Salina, N. Y. N. to Arc. Am. Leaves very nu- 

 merous, fleshy, smooth, very narrow. Scape 6 12' high, ending in a racemo 

 with rather remote, very small, green flowers on pedicels 2 3" long. The slen- 

 der fruit is attenuated at base, obtuse at apex, grooved and margined, consisting 

 of 3 very slender carpels. July. 



5. SCHEUCHZE'RIA, L. (To the Scheuchzers, two brothers, distin- 

 guished botanists.) Sepals and petals oblong, acute, persistent ; sta. 6, 

 with linear anthers ; stigmas sessile, lateral ; ovaries 1 2-ovuled ; cap- 

 sules inflated, compressed, 2-valved, 1 2-seeded. 2 Lvs. cauline, lin- 

 ear, sheathing at base. 



S. palustris L. A rush-like plant, in swamps, Yt. to Penn., rare. Boot-stock 

 horizontal, fleshy. Stem about a foot high, simple, angular. Leaves semi-cylin- 

 dric, 4 6' long, in the barren shoots much longer, sheathing at base. Raceme 

 terminal, 5 8-flowered. Flowers yellowish-green, on short pedicels, each axil- 

 lary to a bract. Stamens large, exserted, erect. July. 



