84 Mr. C. C. Babington on Anacharis Alsinastrum. 



leaves, upper scarcely half their length ; the node marked by a 

 transverse dull red line. Roots long, threadlike, diaphanous, 

 from the points at which branches have sprung. — Female flowers 

 from the axils of the upper whorls, solitary. Sheaths sessile, 

 solitary, linear, slightly enlarged at the end, deeply bifid. Flower 

 sessile ; tube very long (so as to reach the surface of the water), 

 filiform ; limb six-parted ; divisions oval, similar, three exterior, 

 three interior rather narrower and more acute. Filaments three, 

 subulate, without anthers. Style adnate to the tube ; stigmas 

 ligulate, reflexed, notched, fringed. — Male flowers unknown. 



A. Nuttallii (Planch.), Udora canadensis (Nutt.), from New 

 Jersey, closely resembles this, difi*ering in the acute termina- 

 tion of its leaves, and apparently its less deeply divided sheath : 

 its flowers are not in a state admitting of examination. A, 

 canadensis (Planch.) has lanceolate-linear leaves and a much 

 shorter sheath. The latter differs from the former by not 

 having any inner divisions to the perianth of its male flowers. 

 Our plant is clearly not A. canadensis, but it may be A. Nuttallii , 

 the want of male flowers totally preventing its absolute determi- 

 nation. As the genus Anacharis is, as yet*, confined to the 

 American continent, it has been thought better to give a di- 

 stinctive name to our plant (derived from its resemblance to ^la- 

 tine Alsinastrum), so as to prevent its being confounded with the 

 American species, and thus extending their range far beyond 

 what may prove to be their natural limits. Should either of them 

 eventually be shown to be identical with our plant, one of the 

 names will of course drop ; and as that species to which ours is 

 the most nearly allied is now for the first time distinguished 

 from the Elodea canadensis of Michaux, it will then be for bota- 

 nists to determine which name should be retained. 



Shortly after receiving this plant from Mr. Bloxam, I was in- 

 formed that similar ones had been found in Hampshire and near 

 Dublin. I am indebted to my friend Mr. H. Collins for a speci- 

 men from the former locality, an ornamented pond, at Leigh Park, 

 about eight miles from Chichester. He informs me that there 

 is very great probability of its having been introduced there ac- 

 cidentally with the roots of Nymphaa odorata, received by the 

 gardener a few years since from America. The plant had not 

 been noticed in the pond previously to those roots being put into 

 it, and it appeared shortly afterwards in small quantity, but 

 soon rapidly increased. Mr. Scottj the intelligent gardener at 

 Leigh Park, has sent three female flowers to Mr. ColHns and 

 Mr. Borrer, one of which I have examined carefully. It has three 



* The Udora pomeranica and U. lithuanica of European authors have 

 never been seen in flower, and have much more the look of Hydrilla than 

 Anacharis, but their genus is at present undeterminable. 



