Localities. — In salt-water pools and ditches.— Cambridgesh. Ditches below 
Wisbeach. — Cornwall; Salt ditches. — Devon; Exminster and Rowdeiham 
Marshes; salt ditches near Starcross; and Braunton Burroughs. — Dorset; 
Ditches on the coast; at Pool. — Durham; Near 'lees’ Mouth. — Essex ; In a 
d.tch by the road-side between Hevbridge and Goldhanger, near Maldon — 
Hants; By the ferry over the river Itclien, near Southampton. — Kent; Dikes 
and pools near the sea at Dimchurch; and in the marsh ditches at Sheppey, 
plentiful. — Norfolk; Salt-water ditches near Yarmouth; (Jaistor ; Bradwell, 
&c. — Northumberland, ; In Meggy’s Bourn, north of Seaton Sluice. — Somer- 
set; Salt marsh at the base of Brean Down. — Suffolk ; Salt-marsh ditches at 
Aldborough and Orford ; at Dunvvich; and about Yarmouth. — Sussex; Rye 
and Shorehatn: VV. Borrer, Esq. Salt-pans Birdham, near Chichester; and 
in Chichester Creek : Mr. E. J inner. — Yorksh. Salt- water ditches in the marshes 
at Coatham: Mr. Baines. Tees’ Mouth. — WALES. Anylesea ; Not rare; 
between Beaumaris and Penmon, Sec.; near Llanddwyn. — Caernarvonsh. 
Ditches between Treath Mawr and Pont Abeiglaslyn. — Denbiyhsh. Not com- 
mon. — SCOTLAND. Elyinsh. Kinloss, nea‘ the Nehool-house. — Forfarsh. 
Montrose. — Haddingtonsh. Salt-water pools on Guillen Links ; Vberlady Bay. 
— Inverness-shire ; Glen Elg. — Kincardinesh. in Uie neighbourhood of Ber- 
vie. — Kirkcudbriyhtsh. Kiikcndluight Loch. | For authoiil'es, see N. B. G.] — 
IRELAND. Near the N. Wall, Dublin. Near Passage, county of Cork. 
Abundant along the shore of Lough Foyle. FI. Hihern. 
Perennial. — Flowers in July and August. 
Plant submersed. Roots fibrous, in tufts from several of the 
lower joints of the stem. Stems long, slender, thread-shaped, 
flexuose, much branched, leafy. Leaves alternate, strap-shaped, 
very narrow, more or less pointed, channelled ; clasping the stem 
with their sheaths, which are sometimes narrow and small, at other 
times large and inflated. Spadix (see figs. 4 & 5.) at first very 
short, included in the sheath of the leaves, with 2 green Jlowers , 
one above another on opposite sides, and quite destitute of either 
calyx or corolla. Anthers (see fig. 3.) 4, large, sessile, bursting 
horizontally, 1-celled. Meutens and Kocii say that each pair is, 
in fact, the 2 cells of l anther ; and that there are, in reality, but 
2 sessile stamens. Pollen, a tube with 3 globules, one in the mid- 
dle, and one at each end of the tube. Germens (see fig. 5, a.) 4, 
occasionally 5 or 6, resembling minute tubercles in the centre 
between the anthers ; as these approach maturity their base elon- 
gates into a fruit-stalk, one or two inches long (see fig. 2.) ; each 
then becomes an oblique, egg-shaped, more or less pointed, peri- 
carp, (see fig. 8.), inclosing a single seed. 
This plant, when notin fruit, very much resembles Potamogeton 
pectinatum. “ Its whole history,” observes the Rev. G. E. Smith, 
“ is deeply interesting, and raises the humble and hidden tenant of 
the dyke to rivalry with the celebrated Valesneria for, like that 
plant, it lengthens or contracts its flower-stalk according to the 
greater or less depth of the water ; and, assuming a spiral form, 
the flowers are thus elevated above the surface, where the anthers 
burst, and discharge their pollen, after which the flower-stalk, bear- 
ing the fertilized stigrnas, sinks within the bosotn of its parent plant. 
For many interesting particulars relative to the history and economy of this 
curious plant, see FLioker’s Flora Londinensis, t. 50. ; and the Key. G. K. 
SMituf Catalogue of Plants, collected in South Kent, pp. 9 — 12. 
The specimen ficm which the drawing for the accompanying plate was made, 
was kindly communicated to me by my friend Mr. E. Jennir.oI Lewes, Sussex. 
