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a {ingle flat leaf arifes, about an inch or an inch and 
half broad, thick in its middle to about three lines, 
ending at the fides in a kind of edge, like a two- 
edged fabre, almoft like the common Alga, formed 
of longitudinal fibres interlaced with other very deli- 
cates ones, and the whole filled with a thick juice, 
like the parenchyma of fucculent plants, fuch as the 
Sedum, Aloes, and the like, of a clear yellowifh 
green, and tranfparent. This firfl leaf is always 
fingle, and ferves inflead of a trunk or ftem to the 
whole plant. 
When it rifes to about a foot high, more or lefs, 
it throws out at the lides other leaves formed of a 
continuation of the longitudinal fibres ; and thefe 
fecond leaves are of the fame thicknefs and lubftance 
with the firfl; : they are two or three feet long, and 
the whole plant is five or fix, or more (for one can 
hardly tell the length) ; and is not capable of fup- 
porting itfelf, but is fuftained by the ftrength of the 
waters, in which it floats. 
The fubftance of the plant is not fo folid as that 
of the common Alga, which is capable of drying as 
it fades, and of being kept : whereas the leaves of 
this great Alga flirink and wither in the air, become 
of a blackifh colour, and very friable, or indeed foon 
fall into putrifadiion. I never obferved, that they 
bore any fruit: perhaps this was not the leafon. 
But what we find particular in this plant is its root 
or foot : Firfl:, this pedicle extends in ribs, like what 
we call the thighs of certain trees : thefe thighs are 
in right lines : perhaps they run in the fame dire&ion 
or fituation, that is, placed north and fouth, or eait 
and weft j but this I could not obferve. They are 
about 
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