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Show The Hiflory of P L A N T S, 1 2 8 d'ng from the middle rib to the • another procee 1 Thefe fiand m rows very near one e ~f thefe rows on every leaf, on eac h fi d 1 e edge Each way there are twenty, o~;or , I . it adheres to the lower end of the the ;ib. The fruit grows in a very. d~v~ren~~ a~~; rounded and covered by the fi bre.s • . head of every clufl:er of roots, and IS Y .Y b ks ditches and ponds about Ptfa, . d . ry common m roo , , 1 b It is an aquatic plant, an IS ve S J I' and in many other P aces ; ut we in the Auxerre about t h e JcO O t of mounht t u tan, It has been long known among t h e have it not in England: it flo~ts u~on t be dwater. at the pains to find out it's fructifica-botanical writers, tho', .till Mt~helh, nf ~ri~ ra:ifolia punetata. J. Bauhine, Lens pa· t.t on. C . Bauhine calls tt, Lenucu a pa u , , lufl:ris Patavina. 2• Salvinia Joliis junceis. Tbe rujh-leaved Salvinia. h f; in it's external figure. It fends out . This fpecies does not at all reff~~~e :h~k~~~e~f a fmall packthread, whic? creep long, fimple, round flagellre, d h fc are five or fix inches long; at every mch, or along the furface. of the groun ; t e e confifting of three or four fimple fibres, and thereabout, there IS fent downwr{ds a root~rd as many leaves. The leaves ftand ereCt, from the fame part of the fl~ge urn upw h ound like ruilies and of the thickand are two, three, or four mchftes lon;; 1 t ly :~~ rgradually fmaller,' till they terminate nefs of a fmall packthread, large at t e ea , in a point. ft d h fules. they are affixed to the flagellum by In the alre of thefe leaves an t e cap fi ~ards more tumid and rounder ; they very {bort pedicles, and are a~ firft oblbong, a terhen cut ar.under they {hew four cells ; d · h b hauy mem rane : w l' ' • h f are covere wtt a rown, h fi 11 t 't they feparate into four parts, m eac o but if fuffered to grow to t e u rna un Y, . d which are contained a _great n~mber of Jmall, ;~~n~~ :~~o~mon with us, but it's re- This fpec~es grows m mar JY ~ro't:·ts, aFt islcommon on Hounfiow-heath, and in femblance to fgr~fs mak~s S uffe~er ~ailia~t and Dillenius call it, Pilularia. Ray' . Gr~many parts o _urry an u . . m i eris remulis Mer ret Gramen p!penminifotia paluftns, rep.ens, v~~cults granoru .Pll p. paluftris folliculis rotundis quadri· num. Plukenet calls 1t, Mwcus aureus, cap1 ans, , partitis. L EM N A. LE M N A is a genus of plants, producing diftinet hermaphrodite an~ female fl 5 on the fame plant. In the hermaphrodite flowers the caly:' IS monol llou~w~hd of a roundHh figure, and opens fidewife ; it is dilated obltq~ely out~~ ds ~nd is large expanded, obtufe, and not divided at the edges. There IS 110 corolla 'but in this c;lyx there ftand two fubulated, crooked filaments, of hthe ~ength of the ~u and on thefe double globofe antherre. In the female flov.:er. t. ere lS no ~ol rolla . ~he calyx is the fame as in the other. The germen of the ptfl:Il .1s ?f an ~ f form'· the fiyle is lhort and permanent, the fligma fimple. The f:mt t.s a c~p u e rounded, but terminating in a point, and contains only a fingle cavity ; m thts. ar~ iodged a fma\1 number of feeds of an oblong figure, pomted at each end, and ftnate on one fide. f This genus comprehends the Lenticula of Dillenius, &c. and the Hydrophace 0 Buxbaum. 1. Lemna folio fubrotundo monorrhiza. The roundijh-leaved, jingle-rooted Lemna. This is the fpecies of Lerona moll: frequent in our fianding waters, and often covers them entirely. It's leaves are of an irregularly rounded figure, and of about a fixth of an inch in diameter. Each plant properly confifl:s of a fingle leaf, from the center or ncar the center of which defcends a fingle fibre, by way of root. The Jeaf is' green on both the up' per and under fides. The hermaphro d'l te fl ower I·S pro du c ed from one fide of the leaf ; the female flower, from the oppofite part on the oth~r fide. Both flowers are of a whiti{h green in colour, but the calyx does not rema1? long to either; fo that it is more ufual to. fee. only the !lamina and piflil. The root 15 an The Hijlory if P L A N T S. an inch and half in length, and at it's bottom has a conic cafe, which falls off, as it grows old or decays. This fpecies flowers in J une, and it ~s at that time only that the flowers are to be expeCted to be feen perfect : the fiamina and piftil remain, indeed, till the end of July ; and the feed-ve!fel may be found till winter. A thoufand places may be fearched, before a fingle plant of this is found in flower; but the moft probable for it's flowering are, where there is moft fun, and greateft plenty of water. The bota• nical writers have defcribed this under the names of Lens paluftris, and Lenticula pa:.. luftr is vulgaris. 2. L emna folio oblongo monorrhiza. The oblong-leaved L emna, with a Jingle root. This confills of a fingle leaf, and fi ngle root, as the former. The leaf is of an oblong figure, obtufe at each end, and broadeft near the middle ; it is moderately thick, and fomething larger than the leaf of the former fpecies, or at leaft it is full as broad, with more length; it is of a pale green, both on the upper and under fides, The root proceeds from near1y the middle of the leaf, and is a fingle white fibre, of two inches and a half, or more, in length, covered, at it's extremity, with a conic cafe as the others. This is lefs frequent than the former fpecies. I have met with it plentifully in Wiltfhire. It's flowers are as in the former. Matthiolus has a figure of it, but without a diftinet name. Micheli calls it, Lenticularia media, monorrhiza, foliis oblongis utrinque viridibus.- 3· Lemna foliis latis ovatis polyrrhiza. The many-rooted, broad, oval-leaved Lemna. This is the largefi of all the fimple Lemnre. It's leaf is twice or three times as large as that of the common Lemna, of an oval or . pear-falhioned fhape, very large, and broad at one end, and fmall at the other; it is confiderably thick, and of a bright green colour on the upper fide, and of a fine purple underneath. Every leaf has, in ... ftead of a fingle fib re, by way of root, ten, twelve, or more, but they are fhort, feldom exceeding an inch in length: each of them has it's conic cafe at the end, and they all rife near one another, and that nearly in the middle of the leaf. This fpecies is very common in our fianding waters, with the ordinary Lemna. It's flowers are produced from the two fides of the finaller part of the leaf, near the extremity. Commelin calls this fpecies Lenticula palufiris major. J Bauhine, Lens paluftris, fuperne virens, inferne nigricans ; his defcription only is to be regarded, how~ ... _ ver, for the figure does not exprefs it. 4· Lemna folio ovato monorrhiza. Tbe Jingle· rooted, oval-leaved Lemna. The leaf of this fpecies is exactly of the fhape of that of the former, very large and rounded at one end, and very fmall, but rounded alfo, at the other ; there is alfo a fort of neck between the two parts, fomewhat difiinguilhable in the former, but more fo in this. This is of a pale green on the upper fide, and of a yet paler or whiti{h green on the lower ; very thick and flelhy ; more fo, indeed, than any other fpecies, and very prominent on the under fide : from the center of this leaf iffues a fingle fibre, longer than that of any other fpecies ; three inches is a common length, fometimes it is much more. This fpecies is lefs frequ ent than the others, but it flowers more confiantly than any of them. I have obferved it in the ponds on Putney·heath, where it is common to find it in flower in J uly. It is defcribed, in the Flora Altdorffenfis, under the name of Lenticula aquatica foliis minoribus inferna parte in veficulam duetis. Micheli calls it, Lenticula paluftris major, inferne magis convexa, fi-uctu polyfpermo. L I S· Le.nma |