Sparganium. | LXXV. TYPHACE. 419 
Il. SPARGANIUM. SPARGANIUM. 
‘Flowers in globular heads, placed at a distance from each other along 
the summit of the stem, with leaf-like bracts under the lower ones. Upper 
heads all males, consisting of stamens with minute scales irregularly inter- 
posed ; the lower heads larger, all females, consisting of sessile ovaries, each 
one surrounded by 8 to 6 scales, forming an irregular perianth. 
A small genus, dispersed over the northern ae ts without the 
tropics. 
florescence branched, each branch bearing more than one head. 1. S. ramosum. 
Inflorescence simple. 
Stemsandleaveserect . . «. « «© © « o + 2 &. simplex. 
Stem weak. Leaves floating . . : ; A a e . 3. S. minimum. 
1. S.ramosum, Huds. (fig. 939). Branched Sparganium, Bur-reed. 
—Stems erect, simple or branched, 2 feet high or more, sheathed below by 
the long, linear leaves, which usually far surpass the inflorescences. These 
form a kind of panicle at the summit of the stem, with 3 or 4 to 6 or 8 
- simple branches, each bearing 6 to 12 or even more miale heads, about the 
size of a pea till the stamens expand, when they are about 4 lines in 
diameter ; the lower female heads are fully 6 lines in diameter, glabrous, 
with the long linear points of the stigmas very prominent, 
On the margins of ponds, lakes, “and streams, almost all over ‘Europe 
and Russian Asia, anda portion of North Aimehical but scarcely Apis | 
the Arctic Circle. - Extends all over Britain. Fl. summer. 
2, S. simplex, Huds. (fig. 940). Simple Sparganium. —Rather smaller 
than S. ramosum, with narrow leaves; the flower-heads much fewer, at 
considerable distances from each other along the simple summit of the 
stem; all sessile except the lowest female, which is often on .a peduncle. of 
1 to 9 inches, Flowers as in S. ramosum. 
In similar situations, and nearly as widely distributed as. S. ramosui, 
but not quite so common. Not unfrequent in Britain. #7. swummer.. A 
floating variety, S. natans, Linn., found occasionally, but rarely, in deeper 
water, has the weak stems and long floating leaves nearly of S. minimum, 
with ich it was confounded in the first edition of this Handbook. It 
is, however, a larger plant, and has the long styles or points of the fruit of 
S. simplex. | 
3. S. minimum, Fries. (fig. 941). Small Sparganium.—An aquatic 
plant; the weak ac ascending to the surface of the water on which the 
long, narrow leaves float. Flower-heads very few, with long, linear bracts ; 
the | 2 or 3 lowest ones female, and often shortly stalked.,: Fruiting hagas 
smaller than in the last two species, and the styles or points to the fruits 
very much shorter. 
In lakes and pools, in northern Europe, Asia and America; and in the 
high mountains of southern Europe and central Asia. In Britain, more 
frequent in Scotland than in England ; unknown in Ireland. FV. summer. 
LXXVI. AROIDER. THE ARUM FAMILY. 
“Herbs, with the rootstock often tuberous but not bulbous ; 
the veins of the leaves sometimes branched cr even netted, 
Ee 2 
