350 FLOBA OF ADEN v 
Male panicles white, compact, 6-9 inches long, on a short peduncle, 
flowers J-J inch long, sweet scented ; sheaths outside with rusty down. 
Peduncles of female inflorescence inch broad, sometimes broader 
below ; spikes 12-24 inches long. 
Fruit oblong, 1-3 inches long, pulp fleshy sweet. Seed cylindric,, 
with a longitudinal furrow in front and a small cylindric embryo in the 
middle of the rounded back. 
Believed to be indigenous in the Euphrates and Tigris Doab, and in 
the oases of the great African Sahara, 
LIV.-NAIADACEdE, 
Aquatic or marsh herbs of various habit ; rootstock stout or slender,, 
sometimes tuberous, often creeping or 0 ; stem floating or rooted in the 
ground. Leaves entire or serrate, submerged or floating, sheathing at 
the base, sometimes stipulate. 
Flowers uni- or bi-sexual, green, usually inconspicuous, in spikes, 
racemes, or terminal or axillary pedunculate spadices ; bracts small or 
0. Perianth 0, or of 3-4 inferior valvate segments, or tubular and very 
delicate. Stamens 1-6, hypogvnous, free in bisexual flowers, solitary or 
connate in male flowers ; anthers 1-2-celled. Carpels 1-6 ; ovules 1 or 
more in each carpel, erect or pendulous ; style long or short, stigma 
usually simple, sometimes stigmas 2-3, capillary. 
Fruit various. Seeds erect, pendulous, or laterally peltate, testa 
coriaceous or somewhat fleshy ; albumen 0 ; embryo fleshy, straight. 
Genera 16 ; species about 150. 
Distribution : — In all climates. 
1. Cymodocea Koenig. 
Submerged marine plants, with rigid jointed and creeping rootstocks* 
Leaves oblong or linear, with stipular sheaths. 
Flowers axillary, unisexual or bisexual, in membranous sheaths. 
Perianth 0. Male flowers : Anthers 2, long, connate, stipitate, extrorse. 
Female flowers : Carpels 2, subsessile, ovoid, compressed, 1-ovuled ; 
style short ; stigmas subulate ; ovule pendulous, orthotropous. 
Fruit of 2 ovoid carpels. Seeds pendulous \ testa thick ; embryo 
inflexed. 
Species 7. 
Distribution \ — Shores of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. 
Leaves not terete : — 
Leaves falcate • • . . . . • 1 1. C. ciliata. 
Leaves straight . • • • . • • , 2. C. serrulata. 
Leaves terete .,3. C.isoStifolia. 
