THE BULLRUSII TRIBE. 245 



trace of flowers like those of the plants that have 

 gone before. Upon the whole surface of the plant 

 you find nothing different from leaves, except the 

 dark cylinder, and the yellow spike on the top of it. 

 It is at these parts that in reality the flowers are col- 

 lected ; but they are so minute, and their organs are 

 so delicate, that it requires a microscope, and a care- 

 ful separation of them, to determine their real nature. 

 The dark cylinder consists wholly of flowers contain- 

 ing pistils only, or being fertile, and the yellow spike 

 is composed of flowers containing nothing but sta- 

 mens, or being sterile. I do not, however, propose 

 to fatigue you by obliging you to anatomize a Bull- 

 rush ; the same purpose will be effected, if you take 

 the Bur-reed, which is similar in structure, but larger 

 in all its parts. 



Branched Bur-reed (Sparganium ramosum, Plate 

 XXI. 1.), is a wild plant, frequently found growing 

 in ditches or pools, or by the wet banks of rivers. 

 It rises to the height of two, or even three feet, and 

 branches from the very ground. Its leaves, which 

 are narrow, and shaped like a short straight sword- 

 blade, have near the top of the stem a remarkably 

 broad sheathing base. At the extremities of the 

 branches appear round balls of flowers, some of which 

 (b. b. fig. 1.), are bright green, and others (a. a.) 

 bright yellow ; the latter being the most numerous, 

 and placed above the others. The yellow heads 

 consist of stamen-bearing, or barren flowers, and the 

 green heads of pistil-bearing, or fertile florets. Wha^ 

 happens in this case, occurs also in all instances in 



