This section is from the book "An Illustrated Flora Of The Northern United States, Canada And The British Possessions Vol1", by Nathaniel Lord Britton, Addison Brown. Also available from Amazon: An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States, Canada and the British Possessions. 3 Volume Set..
Mayaca Family. Slender branching aquatic moss-like herbs, with linear sessile 1-nerved entire soft leaves, notched at the apex. Flowers solitary, peduncled, white, perfect, and regular, the peduncles bracted at the base. Perianth persistent, consisting of 3 lanceolate green herbaceous sepals and 3 obovate white spreading petals. Stamens 3, hypogynous, alternate with the petals; filaments filiform; anthers oblong, somewhat 4-sided, 2-celled. Ovary superior, sessile, 1-celled with 3 parietal placentae; ovules several or numerous, orthotropous; style filiform; stigmas terminal, entire or with 3 short lobes. Capsule 1-celled, 3-valved. Seeds ovoid or globose, the testa reticulated; embryo at the apex of the mealy endosperm.
The family consists of the following genus.
 
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