ELATINACEiE. Idl 



GENUS Z— E L A T I N E. Linn. 



Flowers 3- or 4-merous, (rarely 2-meroiis). Sepals membra- 

 naceous, obtuse, not keeled. Stamens generally twice as many 

 as the sepals. Ovary sub-globose. Capsule membranaceous. Seeds 

 cylindrical, sligbtly arched or sbarply booked, Mitb G or 8 longi- 

 tudinal ridges and numerous transverse striae. 



Small aquatic glabrous plants, with opposite or verticellatc 

 slightly succulent leaves. Flowers very small, axillary, and gene- 

 rally solitary. 



The name of this genus comes from the Greek word eXanvrj (elatine), from tXarrwr, 

 smaller, given to Liuaria Elatine on account of the small size. Other authors give the 

 derivation from iXarr) {date), a fir-tree, from its fine leaves, which have been compared 

 to those of a fir. 



SPECIES I.— ELATINE HEXANDRA. D.C. 



Plate CCLXII. 



Elatine paludo.sa, Seuh. Gr. & Godr. Fl. de Fr. Vol. I. p. 278. 

 E. Hydropiper, var. /3, Linn. Sm. Eng. Bot. No. Ooo. 

 E. tripetala, Sm. Eng. Fh Vol. II. p. 243. 



Stem prostrate, creeping. Leaves opposite, with the lamina 

 longer than the petiole. Flowers alternate, axillary, stalked. 

 Sepals 3, shorter than the petals, and about equal to the capsule. 

 Petals 3. Stamens 6. Seeds ascending, nearly straight. 



On mud at the bottom of ponds, or left dry by the evaporation 

 of the water. Eather rare ; but occurring in Cornwall, Sussex, 

 Surrey, Berkshire, "Warwickshire, Shropshire, Anglesea, Leicester- 

 shire, Cheshire, Perthshire, Kincardineshii'e, and Bute. 



England, Scotland, Ireland. Annual. Autumn. 



Stem branched, 1 to S inches long, emitting root-fibres from the 

 nodes, which penetrate the mud in which the plant grows. Leaves 

 opposite, oblanceolate, narrowed insensibly at the base into a petiole, 

 which does not exceed the length of the lamina; apex obtuse. 

 Flowers solitary, yg- inch across, white. Peduncles usually shorter 

 than the leaves. Sepals unequal, roundish, obtuse. Petals obovate, 

 very little longer than the sepals. Capsule globular-turbinate, 

 emarginate at the apex. Seeds 8 to 12 in each cell of the capsule, 

 very slightly and regularly curved through their length, with rounded 

 longitudinal ribs and very numerous transverse stria;. Whole plant 

 pale yellowish green. 



Hexo.ndrous IFatericort. 



French, £'latine a Six £lamines. German, Sechsmdnniger Sdnnel. 



