WATER-PLANTAIN FAMILY. Allsmaceae. 



WATER-PLANTAIN FAMILY. Alismaceae. 



A rather small family, widely distributed, growing in 

 fresh-water swamps and streams. The leaves are all 

 from the root, with long sheathing leaf-stalks, and the 

 flowers are regular and perfect, or with only pistils or only 

 stamens; the sepals three; the petals three; the stamens six 

 or more; the ovaries numerous, superior, developing into 

 dry, one-seeded nutlets. 



There are a good many kinds of Sagittaria, with fibrous 

 roots and milky juice; the leaves are usually arrow-shaped; 

 the lower flowers usually pistillate and the upper ones 

 usually staminate; the stamens are numerous and the 

 numerous ovaries are closely crowded and form roundish 

 heads. The name is from the Latin for "arrow, " referring 

 to the shape of the leaves. 



An attractive and very decorative 

 Sagiti&ria plant, with stout, smooth, hollow flower- 



latijdlia stems, from eight inches to four feet tall, 



White with very handsome, smooth, olive-green 



Summer leaveg and er bracts. The flowers 



North America . . . 



are about an inch across, with delicately 



crumpled, white petals and yellow anthers, forming a 

 bright golden center, and the plants look very pretty 

 standing along the edges of ponds. The leaves are ex- 

 ceedingly variable both in size and shape. This is found 

 throughout North America. The tubers are edible and 

 hence the plant is often called Tule Potato, and they are 

 much eaten by the Chinese in California. The Indian 

 name is Wapato. 



