. Bulletin of the Department of Agriculture. Agriculture; Agriculture. PROPAGATION OP WILD-DUCK POODS. 11 often having ribbonlike leaves, may be recognized by the reticula- tion of the entire leaf into small cells by veins of nearly uniform size. In certain stages some of the arrowheads (Sagittaria) are difficult to distinguish from wild celery, though they usually have the end of the leaf expanded into a proper leaf blade or else quite pointed, neither of which characteristics is to be found in Vallisneria. Investigation of the subterranean organs will decide the matter, however. For a d
. Bulletin of the Department of Agriculture. Agriculture; Agriculture. PROPAGATION OP WILD-DUCK POODS. 11 often having ribbonlike leaves, may be recognized by the reticula- tion of the entire leaf into small cells by veins of nearly uniform size. In certain stages some of the arrowheads (Sagittaria) are difficult to distinguish from wild celery, though they usually have the end of the leaf expanded into a proper leaf blade or else quite pointed, neither of which characteristics is to be found in Vallisneria. Investigation of the subterranean organs will decide the matter, however. For a de- scription of those of Sagittaria see pages 25-26. The flowers of wild celery, usually seen in July, are peculiar. The staminate flowers, at first attached at the base of the plants, later float on the surface of the water and fertilize the pistillate flower. The latter is attached to a long, slender, round stem, which contracts into a spiral, drawing the flower under the water after fertilization. This spiral stem, bear- ing the flower or pod (fig. 4), distinguishes wild celery from the other plants men- tioned. The seed pod into which the pol- lenized flower develops is straight or curved, a little slenderer than a common lead pencil, and from 3 to 6 inches long (fig. 6). It contains, embedded in a clear jelly, small dark seeds, in number about 50 to the inch. No such pod is borne by any other fresh-water plant. DISTRIBUTION. Wild celery occurs naturally from cen- tral Minnesota through the Great Lake re- gion to northern Nova Scotia, and from eastern Kansas and eastern Texas east to the Atlantic coast (fig. 7). Like wild rice it is of more or less local distribution, and consequently may be absent from considerable areas within its general range. Fig. 5.—Leaves of wild celery, showing venation. (Natural size.) Wild celery is comparatively easy to transplant. It can be propa- gated both by seeds and by winter buds, and the plant itself may be taken up and se
Size: 879px × 2842px
Photo credit: © Book Worm / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookauth, bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, booksubjectagriculture
