434 THE HYDROCHARIS FAMILY, 
surface of the water, where it terminates in 8 or 6 small, spreading seg- 
ments. Anacharis Alsinastrum, Bab. ue. 
In ponds, canals, and slow streams, abundant in North America, and 
introduced from thence into Britain, where it was first observed in 1847 
in Yorkshire, Leicestershire, and near Berwick. It has since spread 
with great rapidity, and there are now but few counties without it. 
[Generally known as the American Water-weed.| Fl. summer and autumn. 
II. HYDROCHARIS. FROGBIT. 
A single species, distinguished as a genus from Stratiotes and others 
more by its habit than by any very marked characters in the flower. 
1. H. Morsus-rane, Linn. (fig. 979). rogbit.—Stems floating, 
resembling the runners of creeping plants, with floating tufts of radical 
leaves, peduncles, and submerged roots. Leaves stalked, orbicular, 
entire, cordate at the base, rather thick, about-2 inches diameter. 
Peduncles of the male plant rather short, bearing 2 or 3 rather large 
flowers on long pedicels, enclosed at the base in a spatha of 2 thin 
bracts. Outer segments of the perianth pale green, shorter and 
narrower than the inner white ones. Stamens 3 to 12. Female spatha 
sessile among the leaves; the flowers’ like the males, but with the 
pedicel enlarged at the top into a short perianth-tube enclosing the 
ovary. Styles 6, with 2-cleft stigmas. Fruit dry, 6-celled, with several 
seeds. 
In ditches and ponds, dispersed over Europe and central and Russian 
Asia, but not extending to the Arctic Circle. Occurs in many parts of 
England and Ireland, not indigenous in Scotland, Fl. swmmer. 
Ill. STRATIOTES. WATER-SOLDIER. 
A single species, with the flowers nearly of Hydrocharis, but with a 
succulent fruit, and a very different habit. 
1. S. aloides, Linn. (fig. 980). Water-soldier.—Rootstock creeping 
in the mud, producing at the bottom of the water tufts of sessile, long 
and narrow, more or less succulent leaves, bordered by small, pointed 
teeth. Peduncles rising from among the leaves to a few inches above 
the water, much thickened at the top, bearing a spatha of 2 bracts, 
about an inch long. Male flowers several in the spatha, stalked, much 
like those of Hydrocharis, but rather larger, with usually 12 or more 
stamens. Female flowers solitary, and sessile in the spatha, with a 
rather long tube, swollen below the middle. Ovary and stigmas nearly 
as in Hydrocharis, but the fruit is ovoid and somewhat succulent. 
In lakes and watery ditches, dispersed over Europe and Russian Asia, 
except the extreme north. Common in the fens of eastern England, — 
occurs also in Lancashire and Cheshire, and naturalised in Ireland and ~ 
Scotland. Fl. summer. ! 
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