f 1 0 1 2 ]
POTAMOGETON crifpum.
Curled Pond-weed.
TETRANDRIA Tetragynia.
G e n . C h a r . Cal. n on e . Petals 4 . Style none.
Seeds 4.
S p e c . C h a r . Leaves lanceolate, alternate, waved,
lerrated.
S y n . Potamogeton crifpum. Linn. Sp. P i. 182. Sm.
FI. B rit. 195. Hudf. 75. With. 213. Hull. 39.
R e lh .7 1 . Sibth. 65. Abbot. 38. Curt. Lond.
fa fe. 5. /. 15.
P. feu Fontinalis crifpa. Rail Syn. 149.
C o m m o n in ditches, ponds, and flow breams, floating
tinder water, except the flowers, which are feen emerging in
June and July. - ® - '
The creeping perennial roots run deep into the mud, and
throw up numerous branched Items, varying in length according
to the depth of the water, or force of the ftream, as ufual
in this genus, and clothed above with numerous leaves. Each
fpace between the leaves is a little comprefled, and grooved on
each fide. Lower leaves alternate; upper generally oppofite ;
all feflile, lanceolate, bluntifli, waved, finely ferrated, pellucid
of a dull green. Flower-ftalks a little longer than the leaves’
fohtary, each bearing a loofe fpike of 6 or 8 feflile brownifli
flowers, with a tinge of purple, purple ftyles, and yellowifli
nearly feffile antherse.
Mr. Curtis obferves that Ducks eat the leaves as well as feeds
of this fpecies, and may therefore be ufeful where it increafes
to a troublefome degree, which is not unfrequently the cafe.
_What Mr. Hudfon took for P.Jerratum of Linnaeus is certainly
no other than this fpecies with a greater proportion of
oppofite leaves, and rather lefs waved, than ufual; but the
lynonym he has applied to it from Ray’s Synopfis probablv
belongs to lucens. 1