Sparganium Ramosum. Great Bur-Reed. 
SPARGANIUM Lin. Gen. PL Mon OECIA TRIANDRIA. 
SPARGANIUM 
SPARGANIUM 
SPARGANIUM 
SPARGANIUM 
Masc. Amentum fubrotundum. Cal. 3-phyllus. Cor. o. 
Fem. Amentum fubrotundum. Cal. 3-phyllus. Cor. o. Stigma 
2-fidum. Drupa exfucca, i-fperma. 
Rail Syn. GraMINIFOLIjE NON CULMIFERAi SINGULARES et sui generis. 
ramofum foliis ball triangularibus, lateribus concavis, pedunculis ramofis. 
eredum foliis ereftis triquetris. Lin.'SyJl. Vegetab. p. 702. Sp. Pl. p. 1378. 
FLSuec. n. 831. 
caule foliifque ere&is. Haller hijl. 1303. 
eredum. Scopoli FI. Carn. n. 1 146. 
SPARGANIUM ramofum. Bauh. Pin. 15. Ger. emac. 45. Parkinf. 1205. Raii Syn. 437. 
Branched Bur- Reed. Hudfion FI. Angi. cd. 2. p. 401. Lightfoot FI. Scot. p. 539. 
RADIX perennis, repens, radiculis fibrillis numero- <i> ROOT perennial, and creeping, the fmall roots 
fi (Tunis inftru&is. | furnifhed with very numerous fibres. 
CULMUS bipedalis, tripedalis, et ultra, ereftus, Q STALK two, three feet high, or more, upright, 
teres, glaber, foliofus, foliis tribus circiter, | round, fmooth, leafy, leaves about three in 
praeter braftaeas. <> number befides the floral leaves. 
FOLIA radicalia erefla, faturate viridia, culmo duplo | LEAVES next the root upright, of a deep green co- 
fere longiora, ball vaginantia, equitantia, <j> lour, almoft twice the length of the Hera, 
paulo fupra bafin fere ad apicem ufque tri- X (heathy at bottom and riding one on the 
quetra, latere interiore planiufculo, duobus other, from the bafe nearly, almoft to the 
exterioribus concavis. | top three-cornered, the inner fide almoft flat, 
<> the two outermoft hollow. 
BRACTEAE quatuor circiter, foliis caulinis fubfimiles, | FLORAL-LEAVES about four in number, fome- 
inferioribus longioribus. <r> what like the leaves of the ftalk, the lower- 
^ mod longeft. 
FLORES monoici, in capitula colletli, fpicati. $ FLOWERS monoicous, formed into little heads, 
and growing in fpikes. 
PEDUNCULI axillares, alterni, flexuofi, multiflori, | FLOWER-STALKS growing from the bofoms of 
capitulis feflilibus, inferioribus femineis, $ the leaves, alternate, crooked, fupporting 
duobus aut tribus, fuperioribus mafculis plu- a many flowers, the little heads felfile, the 
ribus; pedunculi fupremi (lores mafculos <j> lowermoft ones female, two or three in 
tantum gerunt. X number, the uppermoft ones male, and more 
«> numerous ; the uppermoft flower-ftalks bear 
I only male flowers. 
CALYX Flor. Mafc. Amentum commune, fubro- § CALYX of the Male Flowers. One common roundifh 
tundum, undique denfiflime imbricatum, ^ Catkin, clofely imbricated on every fide, and 
conflans Perianthiis propriis plerumque tri- ^ compofed of numerous individual Pcrianthia, 
phyllis, bafi linearibus, apice ovato-acutis, ® confiding for the moft part of three leaves, 
deciduis. Jig. 1. au£l. \ linear at the bafe, ovate and pointed at top, 
f and deciduous, 1. magnified. 
COROLLA nulla. $ COROLLA none. 
STAMINA: Filamenta plerumque tria, capillaria, v STAMINA : ufually three capillary Filaments, 
longitudine calycis; Anther a: oblongee, | the length of the calyx ; An thera oblong, 
(lavas, fig. 2. b yellow, fig. 2. 
CALYX Flor. Fem. Perianthium ut in mafculo, at | CALYX of the Female Flowers. A Perianthium as 
bafi latior, magis concavus, nec deciduus, ^ in the males, but broader at the bafe, more 
fig. 3. ^ concave, and not deciduous, fig. 3. 
PISTILLUM: Germen oblongo-ovatum, angula- ^ PISTILLUM : Germen oblongo-ovate, angular, 
turn, definens in Stylum brevem fubula- \ terminating in a fhort tapering Style ; 
tum; Stigma oblongum ad unum latus ^ Stigma oblong, villous on one fide, fig. 4. 
villofum, fig. 4. • I 
PERICARPIUM: Drupa exfucca, turbinata cum | SEED-VESSEL: ajuicelefs Drupe, turban-Ihaped 
acumine, inferne angulata, fig. 5. and pointed ; angular below, fig. 5. 
SEMEN : Nuces duas, oflete, oblongo^-ovatas, fig. 6. £ SEEDS : two bony Nuts, of an oblong ovate fhape, 
t fis • 6 - 
The Sparganium ramofum having a very ftrong creeping root, is one of thofe plants which very foon fill 
up a ditch or piece of water, if differed to remain unmolefted ; we have not feen it more plentiful any where 
than in the Ifle of Dogs, the ditches of which are full of it. 
We know of no ufe to which it is applicable. 
The ftalk is liable to be eaten by fome kind of larva whofe htftory we have not yet difeovered, the leaves 
by the larva of a Tenthredo unknown to us, as well as by the larva of the Phalcena Fejlucet — two of which 
in their Chryfalis (late, we this year, Auguft 24, 178 6, found in a web under the leaves of the plant, in a 
pond near Malden in Efi’ex ; and on the leaves of the fame plant, at the fame time and place, Dr. Goodenou gh 
and myfelf were fo fortunate as to find two fpecimens of that rare infeft the Sphex fifipes Linntzi. 
The male flowers vary much in the number of their flamina, and both forts in the number of the leaves of 
the calyx. 
In treating of the Typha latifolia, we promifed, when we gave a figure of this plant, to inform our readers 
whether its feeds vegetated : we have fince then had an opportunity of obferving one of its heads, as it lay 
in a wet fituation, alfume a green colour, which, on a careful examination, it was found to owe to the feeds 
having juft begun to vegetate. 
