566 



THE GENTIAN FAMILY. 



Fig. 676. 



Stem short, creeping or floating, with a 

 dense tuft of leaves, consisting each of a 

 long stalk, sheathing at the base, and 3 

 obovate or oblong leaflets, 1 to 1J inches 

 long. Flowers white, tinged externally 

 with red, in an oblong raceme, on a pe- 

 duncle of 6 inches to a foot, proceeding 

 from the base of the tuft of leaves. Calyx 

 short, with rather broad green lobes. Co- 

 rolla campanulate, deeply 5-lobed, and 

 elegantly fringed on the inside with white 

 filaments. 



In wet bogs, and shallow ponds, in 

 Europe, Russian Asia, and North Ame- 

 rica, extending into the Arctic regions. 

 Diffused all over Britain. Fl. summer, 

 rather early. 



VI. LIMNANTH. LIMNANTHEMUM. 



Aquatic plants, with simple, broad, floating leaves and yellow flowers. 

 Calyx 5-cleft. Corolla nearly rotate, 5-cleft, slightly fringed within- 

 side at the base. Capsule bursting irregularly when ripe. 



A small genus, represented by some species or variety in the fresh 

 waters of most of the temperate or tropical parts of the world. 



1. Common Limnanth. Limnanthemum nymphseoides, 



Link. (Fig. 677.) 



{Menyanthes, Eng. Bot. t. 217. Villarsia, Brit. Fl.) 



The long stems creep and root at the base, branching and ascending 

 to the surface of the water, bearing a single leaf at each upper branch, 

 and a terminal floating tuft of leaves and peduncles. Leaves on long 

 stalks, and deeply cordate, like those of a Waterlily on a small scale. 

 Peduncles as long as the leafstalks, each with a single, rather large, 

 yellow flower. 



In ponds and still waters, throughput Europe and central and 



