434. THE HYDROCHARIS FAMILY, [ Stratiotes, 
- 1. S. aloides, Linn. (fig. 978). Water Stratiotes, 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 Engiand, occurs 
also in Lancashire and Cheshire, and. naturalized in Ireland and Scotland. 
Fl, summer. 
ED 
LXXXI. ORCHIDACEA, THE ORCHID FAMILY. 
Perennial herbs, with the roots or stock often thickened into 
tubers, entire and parallel-nerved leaves, and irregular flowers, 
either solitary or in spikes, racemes, or panicles, each one in the 
axil of a bract. Perianth superior, irregular, with 6 usually 
petal-like segments; the 3 outer ones, called sepals, and 2 of 
the inner ones, called petals, often nearly alike ; the third inner 
one, called the l¢p or labellum, differing from the others in shape 
or direction. Opposite to the lip, in the axis of the flower, is the 
column, consisting of 1 or rarely 2 stamens, combined with ‘the 
pistil ; the 2-celled anther or anthers being variously situated on 
the style itself. Pollen rarely granular, more frequently cohering 
into 1 or 2 pairs of oblong or globular pollen-masses, tapering at 
one end into a point. Ovary inferior, l-celled, with 3 parietal 
placentas. Capsule 3-valved, with innumerable minute seeds, 
resembling fine sawdust. 
A very extensive Order, spread over all parts of the globe. Our own 
species, and generally those of temperate regions, are terrestrial, but a large 
proportion of the tropical ones are epiphytes, growing upon the stems and 
branches of trees, but without penetrating into their tissues. Numbers of 
these are now extensively cultivated for the singularity of the forms 
assumed by the flowers, as well as for the great beauty of some of them. 
'The genera are distinguished chiefly by the form and relative arrangement 
of the anther-cells, the pollen-masses, and the stigma, and the shape and 
direction of the lip, characters which, however essential, are in many cases 
as difficult to describe clearly as to observe accurately, especially in dried 
specimens. For the beginner, therefore, I have endeavoured in the follow- 
ing table to select such prominent features as may guide him to the British 
species, independently of the more accurate technical characters, which may 
be reserved for subsequent study. os 
Stem without any leaves, except short scales. fs 
Lip with a spur underneath. Flowers few, rather large . 8. HPrirpoGuMm. 
