UMBELLIFEILE. 101 



longer than their own rays, with an involucre of 2 or 3 unequal 

 leaves on the side opposite the stem. 



In wet places, and at the sides of watercourses and lakes. 

 Common, and pretty generally distributed, hut not reaching North 

 of Edinburgh and Argyleshire. Var. /3 rather rare. I have only 

 collected it in Guillon Ponds, Haddingtonshire, and Duddingston 

 Loch, Edinburgh. Mr. Watson mentions that he has also received 

 it from Suffolk. 



England, Scotland, Ireland. Perennial. Summer 

 and Autumn. 



Var. a has the stem much branched, 6 inches to 3 feet long, 

 decumbent, rooting at the joints, the lower branches barren and 

 generally rooting throughout. Leaves stalked, with the petiole 

 half sheathing at the base, the pinnae ^ to 2 inches long, varying in 

 breadth and in the degree of approximation to each other, but gene- 

 rally with the width apart equal to their own length, the uppermost 

 pair frequently confluent with the terminal one. Umbels with stalks 

 shorter than their own rays, sometimes almost sessile ; rays divari- 

 cate, unequal, the longest \ to 1 inch long ; rays of the uinbellules 

 i to i inch long. Involucre usually absent, involucel of numerous 

 subscarious leaves as long as the rays of the umbellule. Flowers 

 tV inch across, greenish-white. Petals lanceolate, entire, incurved 

 at the tip. Cremocarp about ^ inch long, dark-brown, with the 

 ribs rather prominent and paler. Styles short, slightly recurved. 

 Plant pale-green, glabrous. 



Var. is distinguished by its creeping stems with leaves at right 

 angles to it, and umbels with stalks usually longer than the rays ; 

 and, besides this, the involucre is commonly present, though on the 

 same plant we may find umbels with or without involucres ; the 

 leaves also are generally broader, more deeply serrate, or even with 

 a tendency to become slightly lobed. 



Dr. E. Schultz, in the Archives de Elora, I. c, distinguishes 

 H. repens of Koch from the procumbent varieties of H. nodifiorum 

 by having the involucre of the same number of leaves (4 to 6) as 

 there are rays of the umbel, and disposed all round the circle instead 

 of being dimidiate. I have seen no British plant which answers this 

 description ; but as the involucre varies on the same plant in the 

 number of its leaves, I doubt if Dr. Schultz's H. repens can be 

 considered specifically distinct from H. nodifiorum. My specimens 

 from Duddingston Loch and Haddingtonshire approach very closely 

 in habit to the Continental H. repens. On the other hand, the plant 

 figured in "English Botany" comes much nearer the small state of 

 H. iiodiiiorum, var. a. 



Procumbent Water-Parsnip, 



French, Helosciadie nodiflore. German, KnotenlliUhiijer Scheiberich. 



