73 6 FLORA. 



Scales appressed, some of them commonly alternate; flowers solitary at the ends 

 of the elongated erect peduncles; peduncles sometimes 5 cm. long; corolla about 

 3 times the length ot the calyx; ovary compressed; capsule about 5 mm. high. In 

 swamps, southern Va. to Fla. and La. March-May. 



Family 4. MENYANTHACEAE G. Don. 

 Buckbean Faintly. 



Perennial aquatic or marsh herbs, with basal or alternate leaves, and 

 clustered regular perfect flowers. Calyx inferior, deeply 5-parted, per- 

 sistent. Corolla 5-lobed or 5-cleft, the lobes induplicate-valvate, at least 

 in the bud. Stamens 5, borne on the corolla, and alternate with its 

 lobes ; anther-sacs longitudinally dehiscent ; pollen-grains 3-angled. 

 Ovary 1 -celled, the 2 placentae sometimes intruded. Fruit a capsule, or 

 indehiscent. Five genera and about 35 species, widely distributed. 



Leaves 3-foliolate; swamp plant. 1. Menyanthes. 



Leaves simple, entire, cordate, floating. 2. Litnnanthemum. 



1. MENYANTHES L. 



A glabrous marsh herb, with creeping rootstocks, long-petioled 3-foliolate basal 

 leaves, and white or purplish flowers, racemose or panicled on long lateral scapes. 

 Calyx 5-parted. Corolla short-funnelform, 5-cleft, its lobes induplicate-valvate, 

 fimbriate or bearded within. Stamens 5, on the tube of the corolla; anthers sagit- 

 tate. Disk of 5 hypogynous glands. Ovary 1 -celled ; style subulate ; stigma 

 2 -lamellate. Capsule oval, indehiscent or finally rupturing. Seeds few, com- 

 pressed-globose, shining. [Greek, perhaps month -flower.] A monotypic genus. 



I. Menyanthes trifoliata L. Buckbean. Marsh or Bean Trefoil. 

 Bog-bean. (I. F. f. 2889.) Rootstocks thick, scaly, sometimes 3 dm. long. 

 Petioles sheathing at the base; leaflets oblong or obovate, entire, obtuse, narrowed 

 to the sessile base, 3-8 cm. long; raceme 10-20- flowered; pedicels 6-25 mm. long, 

 bracteolate at the base; flowers 10- 12 mm. long; calyx shorter than the white or 

 purplish corolla; capsule ovoid, obtuse, about 8 mm. long. In bogs, Greenland to 

 Alaska, L. I., Penn., Neb. and Cal. Also in Europe and Asia. May-July. 



2. LIMNANTHEMUM S. G. Gmelin. 

 Aquatic herbs, with slender rootstocks. Leaves petioled, ovate or orbicular, 

 entire or repand, or the primary ones different; flowers yellow, or white, umbellate 

 at the summit of filiform stems at the bases of the petioles, or axillary. Calyx 5- 

 parted. Corolla nearly rotate, deeply 5-cleft, the lobes induplicate-valvate in the 

 bud, sometimes fimbriate on the margins. Stamens 5, inserted on the base of the 

 corolla; anthers sagittate, versatile. "Ovary i-celled; style short or none; stigma 

 2-lamellate. Capsule indehiscent or irregularly bursting. [Greek, pool-blossom.] 

 About 20 species, widely distributed. 



Flowers accompanied by tufts of root-like tubers; native species. 



Floating leaves 2-5 cm. long; flowers 6-12 mm. broad, yellow; seeds smooth. 



1. L. lacunosum. 

 Floating leaves 5-15 cm. long; flowers 12-20 mm. broad, white; seeds rough. 



2. L. aquaticum. 

 Flowers not accompanied by tufts of tubers; flowers bright yellow, 25 mm. broad, or 



more; introduced species. 3- L. nytnphaepidcs. 



I. Limnanthemum lacunosum (Vent.) Griseb. Floating Heart. (I. F. 

 f. 28qo.) Primary leaves membranous, submerged, short-petioled; stems (stolons) 

 filiform, sometimes 3 m. long, bearing a short petioled floating leaf, an umbel of 

 Bowers and a cluster oi narrow tubers ,u its summit, or smne of the floating leaves 

 ,,., petioles a! long as the steins; floating leaves ovate-orbicular, purplish beneath; 

 pedicels Blender; tubers linear-conic. 1-2.5 cm. long! capsuh covered by the con- 

 nivent calyx segments. In ponds, X. S. to fla.. Out.. Minn, and La. July Aug. 



2 Litnnanthemum aquaticum Walt) Britton, Larger FLOATING Heart. 

 (I. F. f. 2891.) Similar to the preceding but stouter and larger. Floating leaves 



