LEPTANTIIUS. CLIV. PONTEDERIACE^E. 555 



TRIBE 6. ASPARAGE.E. Stem usually fully developed, or if not, the leaves 



are coriaceous and permanent. 



16. ASPARAG US. 



Gr. uTrapaffffd), to tear; some of the species aro armed with strong prickles. 



Perianth 6-parted, erect; ovary turbi aate ; stamens erect; style 

 very short ; stigmas 3 ; berry 3-celled, cells 2-seeded. 



A. OFFICINALIS. Asparagus. 



St. herbaceous, unarmed, very branching , erect ; Ivs. setaceous, flexible, 

 fasciculate. TJ. Native of England, and other parts of Europe, naturalized on 

 rocky shores. Stem 2 4f high. Leaves filiform, J !' long, pale pea-green. 

 Flowers axillary, solitary or in pairs. Berries globose, red. It is one of the 

 oldest and most delicate of culinary vegetables, was no less praised in ancient 

 Rome, by Pliny, Cato and other writers, than a\ the present day. Diuretic. Jl. 



ORDER CLIV. PONTEDER-ACE^E. PONTEDERADS. 



Plants aquatic, or marsh. Lva. sheathing, parallel-veined, mottly cordate or dilated at base. 



Inflorescence various, often spathaceous. 



Perianth, tubular, colored, 6-parted, often irregular, circinate in aestivation. 



Sta. 3 or 6, unequal, perigynous. 



Ova. free or sometimes adherent to the perianth at base, 3-cel ed. Style I. Stig. simple. 



FV. Capsule 3 (sometimes l)-celled, 3-valved, with loculicidaj dehiscence. 



Seeds numerous (sometimes solitary), attached to a central axis. Albumen farinaceous. 



Genera 6, species 30, found exclusively in America, E. Im ies and Tropical Africa. They arc of no 

 known use. 



Conspectus of the Genera. 



< solitary Leptanthta. 2 



( equal, ( 24 together in a spathe Heteranthera. 3 



Flowers (_ unequal, in a terminal spike Pontederia. \ 



1. PONTEDERIA. 



In honor of Julius Pontedera, a botanic author and professor, of Padua, about 1720. 



Perianth bilabiate, tubular at base, under side of the tube perfo- 

 rated with 3 longitudinal clefts, the lower part persistent ; stamens 

 unequally inserted, 3 near the base and !> at the summit of the tube ; 

 utricle 1 -seeded. Fls. blue, mostly spicate. 



P. CORDATA. Pickerel-weed. 



Lrs. subradical, cordate-oblong; fls. spiked. Ij. Can. and U. S. A fine 

 conspicuous plant, native of the borders of muddy lakes, &c., growing in patches 

 extending from the shores to deep water. Si em thick, round, erect, arising 

 1 2f above the water, bearing a single leaf Leaves 4 7' by 1 \ 3', very 

 smooth and glossy, almost sagittate, with veins beautifully arranged to conform 

 to the margin. Flowers in a spike, arising above the spathe, very irregular. 

 Perianth 2-lipped, each lip 3-cleft, always blue, appearing in July. 

 /?. angustifolia. Torr. Lvs. narrow, truncate and subcordate at base. 



2. LEPTANTHUS. Michx. 



Gr. ACTTO?, slender, av$os] in reference to the long tube of the perianth. 



Spathe 1 -flowered ; tube of the perianth very long and slender, 

 limb 6-parted, equal ; anthers of 2 forms ; capsule 1 -celled, many- 

 seeded. Lvs. alternate, sheathing at base. 



L. GRAMINEA. Vahl. (Schollera graminea. Schreb.} 

 St. floating, rooting at the lower joints ; Ivs. linear. A grass-like aquatic, 

 in flowing water, Northern States. Stem slender, dichotomous, 1 2f long. 

 Leaves 3 6' long, 1 2" wide, obtuse at apex, slightly sheathing at base. 

 Flower solitary, issuing from a short (!') spathe. Tube !' long, limb in 6, 

 linear-lanceolate segments, yellow. Stamens 3 (4, authors) ; filaments broad, 

 one of them abortive, the other 2 with linear anthers longer than the thick 

 style. Jl. Aug. 



47* 



