the water. Floating leaves long-stalked, flat, nearly or quite
tripartite; segments all regularly wedge-shaped, 3-4-lobed or
3-4-partite; outline of leaf scarcely more than a semicircle,
outer edge nearly or quite straight at the base. Upper stipules
much adnate. Peduncles thick, long, narrowed slightly
at their very top, often rising much out of the water. Flowers
large. Sepals oblong, blunt, green, with a broad diaphanous
edge. Petals obovate, not contiguous, white, with the base
and claw yellow, twice as long as the calyx, even in the newly
expanded flower. Stamens 15-20, not overtopping the pistils.
Style very long, straight, beaklike, recurved at about its middle;
the basal part persistent. Carpels very many, blunt, with a
lateral apiculus; inner edge nearly straight. Receptacle long-
conic, about as thick as the peduncle.
Closely allied to R. confusus (of which we hope soon to obtain
specimens to figure); but the straight sides of the floating
leaves, their usual separation into segments, quite to, or very
nearly to, the base, the shorter stamens, and the very blunt
inflated, but apiculate, carpels seem to distinguish them. In
description R. Baudotii closely resembles R. floribundus, but
scarcely in nature. That plant, as will be seen by our plate,
t. 2969, has a rounded base to the outer edge of its leaves,
longer stamens, a shorter style, very blunt, but not inflated,
carpels, and a short nearly spherical receptacle.
R. Baudotii seems to like the neighbourhood of the sea,
and does not object to brackish water; indeed, perhaps, prefers
it. I t is abundant at Brading in the Isle of Wight, near
Chepstow in Monmouthshire, near Chichester, at Holme and
Burnham in Norfolk, Hull and Coatham in Yorkshire, Seaton,
Carew, Durham, near Edinburgh, and near Waterford and
Cork in Ireland, and probably in many other places. It is
found near the west and north coasts of France, and in Holland
and Belgium.
Our principal figure (a) is derived from specimens sent by
the writer from Chepstow. The other (b) represents the appearance
of the plant when growing upon muddy ground out
of the water, and was contributed by Miss Bromehead of
Ambleside, who found it at Barmouth in August 1857- The
segments of the leaves of b were remarkably fleshy.
This species is in flower from the middle of May to the
middle of August, or even later.—C. C. B.