and slightly diverging at the time of flowering, afterwards
reflexed and bent round the fruit. Germen commonly
slightly stalked. Fruit nearly sessile, or upon a peduncle
which it exceeds in length, consisting of 4 carpels, keeled
and slightly winged on the back, placed by pairs parallel
to each other, yellowish green when fresh, becoming very
pale and nearly white when dry. Several of the carpels
are often abortive. Mr. Sowerby has observed the highly-
interesting fact, that a few of the flowers of this plant are
truly hermaphrodite, consisting of one stamen and a set of
carpels included within a single pair of bracteas. I have
had the satisfaction of confirming this observation, which
tends strongly to prove that the criticised description of
C. verna, t. 722, by Sir J . E. Smith, is correct.
Our plant closely resembles C. stagnalis, “ Scop.," as described
and figured by Kiitzig in Reichenbach’s Iconogra-
phia, <.882 ; but as that plant appears to differ from C. platycarpa
merely by having its carpels diverging in a cruciform
manner,—a structure which will probably justify its
specific distinction ; whilst in our plant 1 have always found
them placed so that the whole fruit is compressed with parallel
sides, 2 of the carpels standing end to end in nearly
a straight line, and parallel to the other two;—I have referred
this to C. platycarpa, although none of Kiitzig’s
figures well represent it. I am inclined to suspect that less
care has been taken in delineating the foliage in those
otherwise excellent plates than was desirable, as I have
never yet seen a Callitriche that will agree with any of
them in that particular; the flowers and fruit are admirably
represented.
C. verna, t. 722, resembles our present subject; but has
fruit of only half the size, its carpels rounded on the back,
with scarcely a trace of a keel, and its styles erect, both
when in flower and also when in fruit. C. pedunculata,
<.2606, has dark-coloured fruit, similar in size and form to
that of C. verna, except in its more strongly keeled carpels
; but it is often pedunculated, its styles diverge at
the time of flowering and are afterwards reflexed, and it
has no bracteas ; its leaves also are mostly linear, although
a few of the upper ones are obovate in the sessile-fruited
variety. In C. autumnalis, t. 2732, the fruit is larger than
that of C. platycarpa, with much broader wings; the bracteas
are wanting, and the leaves are all linear. I have not
had an opportunity of examining the styles of this last plant
in a fresh state.—C. C. B.