1292 HYDROCHARIS. [cLAgS XXII. ORDER VII. 
green, serrated on the margin, paler beneath, the footstalk short, with 
a pair of small stipules at the base. lowers small, pale, greenish 
yellow, the barren ones in interrupted axillary spikes, longer than the 
leaves, the fertile ones on short axillary stalks, few flowered. Fruit 
two globose cells, attached to a central column, rough, with rigid 
spiny hairs, each lobe containing a single seed. 
Habitat,—Waste_places about towns and villages; less common 
than the last. 
Annual; flowering in August. 
This is readily distinguished from the last species, by its branched 
bushy stem and smaller narrower smooth brighter gieen leaves. It 
appears to be less deleterious than the WZ. perennis, abounding more 
in mucilage ; and when boiled, it is eaten like spinach in some parts 
of Germany, but the water in which it has been boiled becomes pos- 
sessed of cathartic and diuretic properties, and has, consequently, 
been used medicinally. It was formerly in the list of our Materia 
Medica, and esteemed as an emmenagogue, but it is now out of use. 
An interesting circumstance illustrating the irritability of flowers was 
first observed in this plant by the la‘e esteemed Professor Burnett : 
he says, “ This species, which is dicecious, is peculiarly interesting, 
from the irritability of its flowers, the stamineous ones becoming 
loosened from their footstalks when mature, and vaulting elastically 
to the neighbouring pistilline plants.” 
GENUS XII. HYDRO'CHARIS.—Luy. Frog-bit. 
Nat. Ord. HyprocHarI’DE®. JUss. 
Gen. Cuar. Barren flowers, spatha two partite, three flowered. 
Perianth double. Calya in three deep segments. Corolla three 
spreading petals. Stamens nine, in three rows on the abortive 
ovary. Fertile flowers, spatha sessile, single flowered. Perianth 
like that of the barren flowers, and with six filiform abortive 
stamens. Styles six. Stigmas wedge-shaped, bifid. Capsules 
coriaceous, roundish, six celled, many seeded.—Named from 
‘tdwe, water; and*xxgw, to rejoice ; from delighting in watery 
places. 
1. H. Mor'sus Ra'ne. Linn. (Fig. 1554.) Common F'rog-bit. 
English Botany, t. 808.—English Flora, vol. iv. p. 250.—Hooker, 
British Flora, ed. 4. vol. i. p. 377.—Lindley, Synopsis, p. 254. 
Floating upon the surface of the water, sending out slender hori- 
zontal stems, and long thread-shaped radicles, divided and feathery at 
the extremities. Leaves roundish, heart-shaped, flat, smooth, of a 
thin pellucid texture, three or five ribbed, on a long footstalk, floating 
on the surface of the water. Flowers rather large, white. Calyx of 
