Alisma Damasonium. St ar ry- He a d e d 



Water-Plantain. 



ALISMA Lin. Gen. PL Hexandria Polygynia. 



Cat. 3-phylIus. Petala 3. Sem. plura. 



Rail Syn. Gen. 27. Herb^e multisiliqu^e seu corniculat^:. 



ALISMA Damafonium foliis cordato oblongis, floribus hexagynis, capfulis fubulatis. Lin. Syjl, 

 Vegetal, p. 350. Sp. PL p. 486. 



PLANTAGO aquatica flellata. Bank. Pin. 190. 



DAMASONIUM ftellatum Dalechampii. /. B. III. 789. 



PLANTAGO aquatica minor ftellata. Ger. emac. 417. 



PLANTAGO aquatica minor muricata. Park. 1245. ^ a ^ fy n - Star-headed Water- Plantain» 

 Hud/. Fl. Angl. ed. 2. p. 158. 



RADIX perennis, fibrofa, fibris plurimis, denfifirme <> ROOT perennial, fibrous, fibres numerous, thickly 

 capillatis, fimpliciufulis, ex fufco-aurantiacis, \ matted together, moftly fimple, of a brownifh 



in limum profunde demiffis, junioribus al- <> orange colour, ftriking deeply into the mud, 



bis. I the young ones white. 



FOLIA longe petiolata, natantia, cordato-oblonga, <> LEAVES (landing on long footftalks, fwimming, of 

 integerrima, utrinque glabra, obtufa, mar- | an oblong heart fhape, perfectly entire, 



gine ipfa purpurafcente, fubtus nervofa, {> fmooth on both fides, obtufe, the very edge 



nervis duobus vix protuberantibus parallelis f purplifh, ribb'd on the under fide, two very 



prope marginem. § flightly, prominent, parallel ribs near the 



i margin. 



PETIOLI obtufe trigoni, fubdiaphani, fpongiofi, ad $ LEAF-STALKS obtufely three-cornered, fomewhat 

 bafin lati, et membrana albida utrinque | tranfparent, fpongy, broad at the bafe, and 



inftructi. - ^ edged on each fide with a whitifh membrane. 



SCAPUS fpithamaeus, teres, lsevis, nudus, craffiuf- | STALK about a fpan long, round, fmooth, naked, 

 cuius, fuperne fordide purpureus, multi- | clumfy, of a dirty purple colour above, 



florus. ^ many-flower'd. 



FLORES albi, fubumbellati. | FLOWERS white, growing umbel-like. 



UMBELL./E plerumque tres, inferior lateralis, o&o- <3> UMBELS for the moll part three, the lowermoft la- 

 radiata, proximafuperiorfexradiata,fuprema | teral, eight-rayed, the next above fix-rayed, 



triradiata, numerus vero variat in diverfis <> the uppermoft three-rayed, the number how- 



plantis. jjj ever varies in different plants. 



INVOLUCRUM umbellae triphyllum, foliolis ovato- % INVOLUCRUM of the umbel three-leav'd, leaves 

 lanceolatis, membranaceis, marcefcentibus. | ovato-lanceolate, membranous, and wither- 



PEDUNCULI qui radii umbellas, teretes, nudi, fef- J FLOWER-STALKS which form the rays of the 

 quiunciales, fuperioribus brevioribus. \ umbel, round, naked, an inch and a half in 



$ length, the upper ones fhorteft. 



CALYX: Perianthium triphyllum, foliolis fub- \ CALYX: a Peri anthium of three leaves, the leaf- 

 ovatis, obtufis, concavis, patentibus, apice Q lets nearly ovate, obtufe, concave, fpread- 



membranaceis, cito marefcentibus, Jig. 1. | ing, membranous at the top, and foon 



<> withering, Jig. 1. 



COROLLA: Petala tria, fubrotunda, alba, tenera, | COROLLA compofed of three roundifh, white, ten- 

 ungue flavo, Jig. 2. <> der Petals with yellow claws, fig. 2. 



STAMINA: Filament a fex, fubulata, flavefcentia, I STAMINA : fix tapering yellowiih Filaments, 

 corolla breviora: Antherj; oblongae, flavae, § fhorter than the corolla : Anther.e oblong 



fg. 3. I and yellow, Jig. 3. 



PISTILLUM: Germina plerumque fex, fubulata, % PISTILLUM : Germina for the mod part fix in 

 erefta : Styli nulli: Stigmata villofa, | number, tapering, upright: Styles none: 



fubreflexa, fig. 4. ^ Stigmata villous, fomewhat reflexed, 



^ fig- 4- 



PERICARPIUM: Capsule fex, patentes, fubulatas, \ SEED-VESSEL : fix fpreading Capsules, tapering 

 inferne compreffae, uniloculares, monofper- § to a point, flattened below, one-cell'd, a 



mae vel difpermae, Jig. 5. | fingle feed or two in each, Jig. 5. 



SEMEN oblongum, obtufum, nigricans, nitidum, ad $ SEED oblong, obtufe, blackifh, fhining, when mag- 

 lentem punciis exafperatum, fulco per me- J nified appearing rough with little promi- 



dium utrinque longitudinali, fig. 6. $ nent points, a ""groove running down the 



^ middle on each fide, fig. 6. 



Not very uncommon in the neighbourhood of London, in ditches, ftagnant waters, and ponds, efpecially 

 fuch as have been formed by the digging of gravel : particularly plentiful in fuch like ponds on Wandfworth 

 Common, with Sparganiuvi /implex : alfo, about Clapham, Walworth, &c. 



Flowers from June to September. 



Is not remarkable for its qualities or ufes. 



Tournefort makes a diftincl: genus of the DamaJbnium, referring the Alifma Plantago and ranunculoides 

 to the genus Ranunculus. 



Ray alfo feparates it from the Plantago aquatica, but obferves that it agrees with it in its tripetalous 

 flowers, though it differs in its feed-vefiels. 



Notwithftanding this difcrepance in the feed-vefiels, the other parts of its fructification, joined to its 

 general habit, in our humble opinion, fully juftify Linn.eus in making it an Alifma. 



