ney, near Mendham in Suffolk, on the 22nd of June, 1840,
by the writer of this, at which time the plant was in its most
perfect state.
The stems are long, round, branching, smooth, arising
from deep water and forming dense masses of foliage just
beneath the surface. Leaves all submersed, opposite or
more usually alternate, elongate-oblong, entire, contracted
at the end so as to form a small hood, their bases half clasping
the stem ; all membranous, with about 5 strong nerves
extending quite from the base to the apex, with several
(about 2) weaker intermediate nerves and numerous transverse
reticulations, pale green, changing to brick-red as
they decay. Stipules tinged with red, ovate, clasping the
stem, without wings. Spikes about 2 inches long, cylindrical,
with numerous closely-placed flowers upon a very
long (often 1 foot or more) curved, cylindrical, solitary peduncle.
Fruit a compressed, obliquely ovate nut, which is
ornamented with one large central and two smaller keels
upon its back when dry, but rounded when wet.
Our plant does not agree exactly with the figures given
by Reichenbach or Detharding, in the former of which the
peduncles are represented as about as long as the leaves,
and the fruit as being rounded at the back, with a thin, prominent,
wing-like keel; but in our plant the peduncles are at
least twice as long as the leaves, and the back of the fruit,
although rounded when it is wet, has no wing. In Dethard-
ing’s plate the leaves are represented as much shorter than
we have ever seen them on British specimens.—C. C. B.
EBUBM