[ 947 ]
CERATOPHYLLUM demerfum.
Common Hornwort.
<y Y.
/ / ’
MONOECIA Polyandna.
Gen\ Char. Male. Cal. in many divifions. Cor. none.
Stam. 16 to 20.
Female. Cal. in many divifions. Cor. none. Stigma
nearly feffile. Seed folitary, coated.
Spe c . Char. Fruit armed with three fpines.
Syn. Ceratophyllum demerfum. Linn. Sj>. P l.y4 .0 g .
Hudf. 419,0;. W ith . 440. Hull. 2 1 1. Relh. 361.
Sibth. 168.
Hydroceratophyllon folio afpero, quatuor cornibus
armato. Hull. Mem. de VAcad, des Sciences (German
edition) 299. t. 15. ƒ. 1. Rail Syn. 135.
1 HE diligence of our obliging correfpondents the Rev. Mr.
Holme and Mr. Pitchford, has this feafon fupplied us with the
fructification of Ceratophyllum demerfum, which enables us
now to complete the hiftory of that genus : fee v. 10. t. 679.
This fpecies is very common in liagnant waters, ditches and
fifh-ponds, flowering in September. The root is perennial.
Herb floating under water, and agreeing in habit with C.fuh-
merfum, except that the leaves appear to be more diftindtly
toothed, or rougher, as Vaillant obferves, and he mentions
their fegments as lefs numerous, which we can fcarcely confirm.
The flowers are feffile, whorled, each placed in the
bofom of a leaf. The true fpecific character refides in the
fruit, which is armed with one long terminal fpine, formed
of the lengthened ftyle, and two, generally fhorter, divaricating
lateral ones. To this may be added that we have in every
inftanee found the fegments of the calyx toothed at their fum-
mits, whereas they are entire in C. fubmerfum. This if con-
ftant is an excellent diftin&ion. It cannot be denied that the
fpecific names of thefe plants do not ferve to diftinguifh them,
and that armatum and muticum would be better.