ENGLISH BOTANY, 



GENUS III.—R U P P I A . Linn. 



Flowers usually 2 together, perfect, on a short filiform axillary 

 spadix issuing from the sheathing bases of the leaves. Perianth none. 

 Stamens 2 ; filaments scale-like ; anthers 2-celled, affixed by the 

 middle of the back, the cells considerably separated, parallel. Ovary 

 free, of 4 separate 1 -celled and 1-ovuled carpels ; stigma sessile. 

 Fruit of four longly-stalked obliquely ovate-conical subdrupaceous 

 achenes elevated upon a common peduncle. 



A slender herb gromng in brackish water, with narrowly linear or 

 linear-filifoiTn parallel-veined submerged translucent leaves with di- 

 lated sheathing bases. 



Ttis genus of plants was named in honour of tlie German physician, Henry 

 Ruppius, author of "Flora Jenensis," in 1726. 



SPECIES I.-RUPPIA MARITIMA. Linn. 

 Plates MCCCCXXVII. MCCCCXXVni, 

 The only known species. 



Sub-Species (?) I. — Ruppia spiralis. Hartman. 



Plate MCCCCXXVII. 



Bekli. Ic. Fl. Germ, et Helv. Vol. VH. Tab. XVII. Fig. 26 

 Hartman, Handbk. Scand. Fl. ed. ix. p. 215. Linn. Herb. 

 R. maritima, Auct. Plur. 

 R. maritima, var. a, Hook. & Am. Brit. Fl. ed. viii. p. 485. 



Leaves narrowly linear, with slightly inflated sheaths. Peduncles 

 elongated at the time of flowering, and raising the spike conspicuously 

 above the water, at length veiy much longer than the pedicels of the 

 nuts, and irregularly spirally coiled. Anthers oblong, 1^- times as long 

 as broad. Nuts oval-ovate, slightly obhque, abruptly acummated into 

 a short subcentral beak. 



In brackish ditches and pools. Not unfi'equent on the south coast 

 of England. I have seen specimens from Somerset, Sussex, and have 

 collected it at Walton-on-the-Naze, Essex. Mr. Baker tells me this is 

 the only form of Ruppia found at Coatham, in Yorkshire. The authors 

 of the "Cybele Hibernica" state that they have seen but a single 

 specimen, which is preserved in the herbarium of the late Dr. Mackay, 

 and labelled near Dublin, &c. It does not appear to occur in Scotland. 



England, Ireland ( ?). Perennial. Late Summer, Autumn. 



