F New York State College of Agriculture At Cornell University Ithaca, N. B. Library ‘ornell University Libra The families of flowering plants. THE FAMILIES — OF — FLOWERING PLANTS. BY CHARLES LOUIS POLLARD, A. M., ASSISTANT CURATOR, DIVISION OF PLANTS, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MuSEUM. SUPPLEMENT TO THE PLANT WORLD. VOLS. III, IV AND V. 1900--1902. o THE PLANT WorRLD COMPANY, WasHINGTOoN, D. C. CONTENTS. PAGE. INTRODUCTION, casa: oe ser ae ee ar ae Ee a ee ae a ae es a ED CHAPTER I. General Classification—Characters of the Flowering Plants—The Classes Angiospermae and Gymnospermae, .. .- 1 ee eee eee ere eae hy Reyes . 2-4 CHAPTER II. Characters of the Gymnospermae—Order Gnetales—Order Cycadales—Order Gink- goales—Order Coniferae—The Pine Family—The Yew Family, . .. . 4-15 CHAPTER III. Characters of the Monocotyledons and Dicotyledons Compared—Order Pandanales— Screw-pine Family —Cat-tail Family—Bur-reed Family—Order Helobiae--Pondweed Family—Arrow-grass Family—Water-plantain Family—Water-poppy Family— . 15-22 Frog’s-bit Family—Order Triuridales.. 2. 0 6 ww ew ee ee : CHAPTER IV. Order Glumifiorae—Grass Family—Sedge Family, ...... » 4 ee + 23-30 CHAPTER V. Order Principes—Palm Family, ....... ..-+..0-- Be oa dep! TSO CHAPTER VI. Order Spathiflorae—Arum Family—Duckweed Family, .......... - . 37-40 CHAPTER VIIIL* Order Farinosae—Mayaca Family—VYellow-eyed Grass Family—Pipewort Family— Rapatea Family—Pineapple Family—Spiderwort Family—Pickerel-weed Family— Philydra Family,. .... os CHAPTER IX. Order Liliiflorae—Rush Family —Stemona Family—Bunch-flower Family—Lily Family - —Lily-of-the-Valley Family—Smilax Family—Bloodwort Family—Amaryllis Family—Tacca Family—Yam Family, ........0..200. +. + . 46-60 CHAPTER X. Order Scitamineae—Banana Family—Ginger Family—Canna Family—Arrowroot Family, Nepapdt hasnt be cet tprs eaten tact gal us ci gains oe ge a 61-63 4 CHAPTER XI. Order Microspermae—Burmannia Family—Orchid Family, .......... 63-68 CHAPTER XII. General Characters of the Dicotyledons—Order Verticillatae—Casuarina Family—Order Piperales—Lizard’s-tail Family—Chloranthus Family—Lacistema Family, . 69-73 *By an error in numbering, Chapter VII is omitted from the text, FAMILIES OF FLOWERING PLANTS. iti FAMILY XIII. Order Salicales—Willow Family—Order Myricales—Sweet Gale Family—Order Jug- landales—Balanops Family—Leitneria Harlly—Walnal Family,...... 73-76 CHAPTER XIV. Order Fagales—Birch Family—Beech Family,....... 2... 2. e+ ees 77-81 CHAPTER XV. Order Urticales—Elm Family—Mulberry Family—Nettle Family—Order Proteales— Protead Family, .. 2. 0 2 2... ew ee we Becccae a te WS eee eS 81-86 CHAPTER XVI. Order Santalales—Mistletoe Family—Myzodendrum Family—Sandalwood Family— Grubbia Famlly —Opilia Family—Olax Family—Balanophora Family, ... . 86-89 CHAPTER XVII. Order Aristolochiales—Birthwort Family—Rafflesia Family—Hydnora Family, . 89-92 CHAPTER XVII (bis.) Order Polygonales—Buckwheat Family—Goosefoot Family—Amaranth Family—Four- o’clock Family—Batis Family—Cynocrambe Family—Pokeweed Family—Carpet- weed Family—Portulaca Family—Basella Family—Pink Family,.. . . . 93-100 CHAPTER XVIII. Order Ranales—Water-lily Family—Hornwort Family—Trochodendron Family— Crowfoot Family—Lardizabala Family—Barberry Family—Moonseed Family— Magnolia Family—Calycanthus Family —Lactoris Family—Custard-apple Family— Nutmeg Family—Gomortega Family—Monimia Family—Laurel Family, 101-112 CHAPTER XIX. Order Rhoedales—Poppy Family--Mustard Family—Tovaria Family—Caper Family —Mignonette Family—Moringa Family,...... 1. ..+.4- 113-116 . CHAPTER XX. Order Sarraceniales—Pitcher-plant Family—East Indian Pitcher-plant Family—Sun- dew Family, . 2 0 6 ee ee ee 117-120 CHAPTER XXI. Order Rosales—River-weed Family—Hydrostachys Family—Orpine Family—Saxi- frage Family—Gooseberry Family—Cephalotus Family—Pittosporum Family— Brunellia Family—Cunonia Family—Myrothamnus Family—Brunia Family— Witch-hazel Family—Plane-tree Family—Crossossoma Family—Rose Family— Apple Family—Plum Family—Connarus Family—Sensitive-plant Family—Senna Family—Pea Family, .. . By a ee ar eee eae 120-140 CHAPTER XXII. Order Geraniales—Geranium Family—Oxalis Family—Tropaeolum Family—Flax Family—Humuria Family—Redwood Family—Bean-caper Family—Cneorum Family—Rue Family—Ailanthus Family—Terebinth Family—Melia 1 amily— Malpighia Family—Trigonia Family—Vochy Family—Tremandra Family—Milk- wort Family—Dichapetalum Family--Spurge Family—Water Starwort Family, 141-153 CHAPTER XXIII. Order Sapindales—Box Family—Crowberry Family—Coriaria Family—False Mermaid Family—Cashew Family—Cyrilla Family—-Pentaphylax Family—Corynocarpus Family—Holly Family—Staff-tree Family—-Hippocratea Family—Stackhousia Eamily—Bladdernut Family—Icaco Family—Maple Family—Horse-chestout iv FAMILIES OF FLOWERING PLANTS. Family—Soapberry Family—Sabia Family—Melianthus Family—Balsam Family —Buckthorn Family—Order Rhamnales—Grape Family,,.. ......-- 153-167 CHAPTER XXIV. Order Malvales—Elaeocarpus Family—Thickleaf Family—Gonystylus Family—Linden Family—Mallow Family—Silk-cotton Family—Sterculia Family, . . . . 167-172 CHAPTER XXV. Order Parietales—Dillenia Family—Eucryphia Family—Ochna Family—Souari-nut Namily—Marcgravia Family—Quiina Family—Tea Family—-Gamboge Family— St. John’s-wort Family—Wing-fruit Family—Water-wort Family—Frankenia Family—Tamarisk Family—Candle-tree Family—Rock-rose Family—Bixa Family —Shell-seed Family—Junco Family--Violet Family—Flacourtia Family—Stach- yurus Family—Turnera Family—Crownwort Family—Passion-flower Family— Acharid Family—Papaya Family—Loasa Family—Datisca Family—Begonia Family—Ancistrocladus Family,. . . 2 we ee ee ee ee . « 173-188 CHAPTER XXVI. Order Opuntiales—Cactus Family—Order Myrtiflorae—Geissoloma Family—Penaea Family—Olinia Family—Mezereon Family—Oleaster Family—Loosestrife Family —Sonneratia Family—Pomegranate Family—Brazil-nut Family—Mangrove Family—-Myrobalan Family—Myrtle Family—Melastoma Family—Evening- primrose Family—Water-milfoil Family—Cynomorium Family, .. . . . 189-200 CHAPTER XXVII. Order Umbellales—Ginseng Family—Carrot Family—Dogwood Family, . . 200-205 CHAPTER XXVIII. Order Ericales—White Alder Family—Wintergreen Family—Indian-pipe Family— Heath Family—Australian Heath Family—Diapensia Family,. .. . 205-210 CHAPTER XXIX. Order Primulales—Myrsine Family - Primrose Family—Plumbago Family—Order Ebenales—Sapodilla Family—Ebony Family—Sweetleaf Family—Storax Family, 211-217. CHAPTER XXX. Order Gentianales—Olive Family—Salvadora Family—Logania Family—Gentian Family—Buckbean Family—Dogbane Family—Miikweed Family, .. . . 517-223 CHAPTER XXXI. Order Polemoniales—Morning-glory Family—Dodder Family—Polemonium Family— Water-leaf Family—Borage Family—Verbena Family—Mint Family—Nolana Family—Nightshade Family-—Figwort Family—Bignonia Family-—Sesamne Family -—Martynia Family—Broom Rape Family—Gloxinia Family—Columellia Family —Bladderwort Family—Globularia Family—Acanthus Family--Myoporum Family—Lopseed Family, . ee GN Re ie Bean » 4 a. 223-242 CHAPTER XHXI (bis.) Order Plantaginales—Plantain Family—Order Rubiales—Madder Family—Honey- suckle Family—Moschatel Family—Valerian Family—Teasel Family, | . 242-247 CHAPTER XXXII. Order Campanulales—Gourd Family—Bell-flower Family—Chicory Family—Rag- weed Family—Thistle Family,.. ... 2, .....0005 . 248-253 On NOUpon— FAMILIES OF FLOWERING PLANTS. ‘LIST OF TEXT FIGURES AND PLATES. PAGE. . Base of Californian Sequoia, 3 . Branching Stem ofan Ephedra,. 4 . A Cultivated Cycad, . 2... . 5 i A Young Shoot of Ginkgo, Se Ie Various Formsof Cones,. . . 8 Spruces Bordering a Peat Bog,. 9 . Cones of Different Species of SPICE jes es oe ae A M1 . Tamarack Swamp, ‘i 12 . Leaves and Inflorescence of Stinking Cedar. ...... 13 . Longitudinal and Cross-section of CornStalk,......... 15 . Cross-section of Box-elder Twig,. 16 . Zones of Aquatic Vegetation, . 16 . The Broad-fruited Bur-reed, 17 . Clasping-leaved Pondweed,. 18 . Arum-leaved Arrowhead, . 19 . Tape-grass or Wild Celery, 20 ss ae ae sf 2 . BuffaloGrass,.. ...... 23 . BarnyardGrass,........ 24 . Forked Beard-grass,...... 24 . Beckmannia Grass, ...... 25 . Kalm’s Chess, . 25 . Creeping Panic-grass, : « «26 . Wild Rice, 2. 1. 27 . Minnesota Muhlenbergia, 27 . Timothy Grass,...... - 27 - Broom Grass,. ........ 27 . Straw-colored Cyperus, . -. 29 . Dark-green Bulrush,. ..... 30 . Bristly Sedge,. .. 2... 2. 30 - Royal Palm (Plate.), . 32 . Cocoanut Palms, . ay fle & 34 - Jack-in-the-Pulpit,....... 38 . Floating Arum,........ 39 . The Large Duckweed,. . 40 . Mayaca,. . s'3 4) . Yellow-eyed Grass, aac 42 F Pipewor!, . : . 42 . Spanish Moss,. .... 43 . Spiderwort,. ... : 46 . Dooryard Rush, ....... 47 ~ Croomia, . 2 6% se ee nes 48 . Bell-lower. ....... . 49 . Various Species of esi .. 50 . Carrion-flower, . . ‘ 53 . The Wild False Hemp, 54 - Young Century Plants on Flower- stalk of Parent, be 55 . Southern Spider Lily, fe 56 . The Wild Yam, ; 57 . Dwarf Crested Iris, . . 58 51. The Banana,....... .. 61 52. West Indian Arrowroot, .... 62 53. Burmannia Biflora, ...... 64 54. Showy Orchis,....... . 64 55. Yellow Lady’s-slipper, . . 65 56. A Group of Native Orchids,.. . 66 57. Casuarina equisetifolia (Plate), . 70 58. The Lizard’stail, ....... 72 59. Cottonwood or Necklace Poplar,. 73 60. The Black Willow,... . 74 61. Bayberry,........... 75 62. Flowering Branch of Walnut,.. 76 63. Forest of Canoe Birch (Plate. ec . 78 64, Black Birch,.. ........ 79 65. A Native Californian Oak,... 80 66. The American Elm,...... 81 67. A Tropical Species of Fig... . 82 . 68. The Hemp Plant,....... 83 69. Stinging Nettle... ...... 84 70, Flower-head of an Australian Banksia, . 2. es 85 71. European Mistletoe... .... 87 72. Pale Bastard Toad-flax,..... 87 73. Florida Wild Plum, .... 88 74, Goose-flower,... .-...... 89 75. Flower of Raffiesia Arnoldi, . . 90 76. Flowering Branch of Buckwheat, 94 . Flowers and Fruits of Chenopo- dium, Amaranthus and Phyto- LOCCD, 262 We 0 oneal aE fa ode 94 . The Common Saltwort,.... 95 . The Pink Abronia, . « & «x 96 . Carpetweed,.......... 97 . Plant of Lewtsia rediviva,. .. 97 . The White Campion,... . 98 . Long-leaved Stitchwort, ... 99 . The Water-shield,. .... 101 . Marsh-marigold,...... 102 . Early Meadow-rue, ..... 103 5 Hepatic Plate), Facing page, 104 . Bugbane (Plate) 104 . Dwarf Barberry,... . . . . 105 . Flowering Branch of Moonseed, . 106 . Flowering Branch of Tulip-tree, 107 . The Pygmy Papaw,...... 109 . Fruiting Branch of Nutmeg, . 110 . California Nutmeg, ..... 110 . Bloodroot,........- LH . Yellow Water-cress,. . . 112 . The Lace-pod,.. . ein AS . Flowering Branch of Brassica campestris,. ... . . 14 . Clammy-weed,, ....... 115 . Flower and Fruit of Dyer’s-weed, 116 . The Huntman’s-cup,... . 117 vi 103. 104. 105. 106, 107. 108. 109. 110, 11, 112. 113, 114, 115. 116, 117. 118. 119, 120. 121. 122, 123. 124, 125. 126. 127. 128. 129. 130. 131. 132, 133. 134, 135. 136. 137. 138. 139. 140. 141. 142, 143. 144, 145, 146. 147, 148, 149, 150. 151. . Flowering Shoot of Dillenia FAMILIES OF FLOWERING PLANTS. Spatulate-leaved Sundew, . 118 Thread-leaved Sundew, . . 119 Common River-weed, . . 120 American Orpine, . . . . 121 Alum-root, . 122 Grass-of-Parnassus, ..... . 122 Southern Witch-hazel,. .... 123 Flowering Branch of Crossossoma Bigelovit,. ... 2. wes. 125 Flowers of Rose andApple Family, 126 Marsh Cinquefoil, 127 The Common Pear,,. ..... Two Views of the Shadbush, (Plate), Facing page, . 128 The Cockspur Thorn, . 129 A Sensitive Plant (Acacia), . . 134 The Royal Poinciana (Plate), Facing page... ...... 133 Kentucky Coffee-tree, . . 135 A Leguminous Plant (Lotus), . 136 Wild Lupine, ........ 137 Hoary Tek-trefoil, eh ay Ie oes de 138 Hairy Vetch, ......., 139 Alaskan Cranesbill, ...... 142 Various Species of Oxalis, ~ . . 142 Cross-sections of Flowers of 7¥o- pacolum, Linum and Ery- throxylon,.... 2. wae 143 Creosote Bush," Seliyiiats ines so Nekinal 5 144 Southern Prickly-ash, eee al, hier 145 Cross-sections of Flowers of Sim- avousa, Boswellia and Swie- tenia, Maeda, sk am 147 Large-flowered Milkwort,. 150 White-margined Spurge, . . . . 152 Allegheny MountainSpurge, . . 153 Crowberry,.. ......+.-. 154 Poison Sumac,......... . 155 Poison Ivy, ........ 156 Flowers of European Holly, Cap- sule of Wimmeria, and Flower of Phytocrene,... . . - 158 The American Spindle-bush, . 159 Bladder-nut, - . 160 Striped Maple,. ; . 161 Buckeye (Plate), Facing page, . 160 Pale eae nae ee rae 162 Branch of Chew-stick ( He Facing page... .. . 162 Wine Grape of Europe, ‘4 Fruiting Branch of Sboanen quad- VEUUIS,. ww he 166 A Jute Plant... ....... 166 Flower of Grewia orientalis, . . 167 Flower of Hibiscus schizopetalus, 167 Flower and Fruit of Cotton, . 168 Flowers, etc., of the Swamp Rose Mallow,........e6... 169 Baobab Tree,.. ......4. 170 Flowers and Fruit of Chocolate,. 171 Indica 2. ow ewe ee TD . 165 | 153. Flower and Fruit of Onrateu,.. 174 154, Flowers and Fruit of Caryocar, . 174 155. Flowers and Fruit of Tea Plant, . 175 156. Mamey Apple, . . 2 176 157. Large Golden St. Johnswort, . 176 158, Flower and Fruit of Dipterocar- Pus VELUSUS, Wo 2 es 177 159, Plant of Reaumuria Persica, . 177 160. Woolly Hudsonia, ..... 178 161. Flower and Fruit of Bixa Orel- WANG). Bok. 6 182 162, American Violets (Plate) Facing Pas, ig eee ates 181 163, Flowering Branch of Casearia sylvestyis, ». ww we 183 164. Plant of Pirigueta Caroliniana, 184 165. Flower of Passifiora foetida, . . 185 166. Flower of Mentzelia decapetala, 186 167. Western Prickly Pear, ..:.. 190 168. European Mezereon, . 19) 169. Japanese Goumi,. . 192 170. Fiery Cuphea, . 193 171, Brazil Nut, .......... 194 172, White Buttonwood, no . 194 173. Flowering Branch of Eucalyptus vostvata, ..... . . . 197 174, ten De eee tee lutea), 198 175. Ginseng, .. .. . .. . 201 176. Hemlock Water-parsnip, . . . . 202 177. DwarfCornel, ..... . 202 178. He Dogwood (Plate) Fac- ing page, ........ 197 178bis. M ayHower (Plate) Facing Page. gaa ak eS » . 205 179, An American Heath, . 207 180. The Small Cranberry, ..... 208 181, Plant of Shortia galacifolia, . 210 182. Flowering Branch of Icacorea paniculata, ..... . 211 184. Shooting Star, . » 212 185. Marsh Rosemary, . ..... 213 186. Wild Sapodilla, . . . - 215 187. Silver-beli Tree, . . . . 216 188. Fringe-tree,... 2.0... «£218 189, Paintroot, ........... 220 190. Yellow Gentian, .. . 221 191, Indian Hemp, ......... 222 192, Common Milkweed (Plate). Fac- ingpage,.......... 219 193. Swamp Milkweed, sie ia - 223 194, Common Morning- glory (Plate) Facing page, «6 ww, 219 195, Eastern Polemonium, . . 225 196. Waterleaf, Ga” ae ee 227 197. Houndston WG la a 228 198, White Cordia, ....... 229 199. Blue Vervain, . . 230 200, American Wild Mint, 231 201. Wild Bergamot, ........ 232 202. Flowers of Typical Labiate,. . . 233 203. Jimson-weed, .. ...... 234 204. Monkey Flower, ........, 236 205. Wild Lousewort, ......., 237 206. Greater Bladderwort,.. |). | 239 207. 208. 209. 210. 211. 212. 213. 214, 215. 216. FAMILIES OF FLOWERING PLANTS. vil Another View of Bladderwort, . 240 | 217. Western Bell-flower, ...... 248 Native Acanthaceous Weed, . . 241 | 218. Great Blue Lobelia, ...... 249 Lopseed, ...... . . .242 | 219, Common Dandelion, .... . 249 Common Plaintain, . ... .243] 220. Ragweed,......... + + 250 Partridge-berry,. ....... 243 | 221. Cocklebur, .......,. .251 Bluets, Bg? & wa eek oe Oe leds 244 | 222. Boneset, ...- - ss es eee 251 Native Species of Bedstraw, .. . 244 | 223. Native Species of Goldenrod, . . 252 Dockmackie,.. ........ 245 | 224. Western Composite (Ratibida), 252 Snowberry, ....-.-.... 245 | 225. Water Marigold,........ 253 Balsam-apple, ........-. 248 | 226. Bachelor’s Button,....... 253 SUPPLEMENT. THE FAMILIES OF FLOWERING PLANTS.* By CuHartes Lous Potzarp. INTRODUCTION. A question frequently asked by those interested in nature and nature-study is how a knowledge of plants may be obtained without the expenditure of- time and trouble involved in a complete course of systematic and structural botany. It is a problem seemingly difficult of solution, but one that nevertheless commands attention,- since the highest province of all science is the exposition of the facts of nature. Critical and technical stndy of any branch of biology is valueless if the world at large is not to profit hy the researches of the scholar. Many attempts have been made to meet this growing demand for popular botany. There are countless volumes designed to instruct the layman and to give him a casual acquaintance with the flowers of field and wayside. Most of them administer, under the sugar-coated guise of popular language, a bitter pill of meaningless names and descrip- tions, while the dose is often made more unpalatable by numerous and wholly superfluous extracts from the poets. The folk-lore ot plants is a distinct branch of botany, and a book which aims to describe the plants themselves should avoid all digressions. In an effort to simplify the technical language of the science, the device of classifying plants by artificial methods, such as the color of their flowers, the situations in which they grow, etc., has been attempted, but the unwary reader, in pursuing this course, is likely to be led into snares. Color and habitat are variable characteristics, and acquaintance with a given plant is to be gained only by familiarity with its appearance and an under- standing of its relationships. There is often a clear conception of in- dividual genera, even among those who have no comprehension of how genera are grouped. Thus nearly everyone can recognize an oak tree, the oaks forming a very distinct natural genus, while most persons can *A series of articles under the above caption was begun in the first volume of THE PLANT WORLD, but extended only through the more important families of the Monocotyledons. The treatment at that time was necessarily very brief, and in the interests of completeness it has been deemed advisible to start the series anew, including illustrations and much additional text, 2 SUPPLEMENT. even distinguish certain species, as the white oak, the red oak, or the black jack. On the other band, comparatively few of those unlearued in botany would know that the oak, the chestnut and the beech are members of the same family. The aim of the present work is, therefore, to present an account of the families of flowering plants, giving a brief popular description of the characters of each, an outline of the geographical distribution, and a statement of the economic, ornamental or medicinal uses wher- ever these are important. As far as possible, some familiar generic type will be selected for illustration in each family. CHAPTER I. General Classification. The flowering plants form a subkingdom known to botanists by various designations) si The tern mk at present generally accepted in this country is ‘Spermatophyta, which is derived from two Greek words signifying seed and plants, in allusion to the fact that they bear seed rather than spores S Recent histological researches have demonstrated, however, that there is a distinct homology between the reproductive organs of the lower groups in the vegetable kingdom and those ef the flowering plants, so that the word seed as contrasted with spore is a term of greater convenience than scientific accuracy. Another name for the flowering plants, which will be found in most of the older manuals, is Phanerogamia, a word also of Greek construction, signify- ing visible reproduction, in allusion to the fact that the latter process is ‘effected by distinct floral organs. The modern German systematists have adopted a compound term Embryophyta Siphonogama, which sig- nifies plants developed from an embryo and accomplishing fertilization by means of a pollen tube which sprouts from the pollen grain. For detailed explanations of the reproductive process in plants the reader is referred to the various standard text books on vegetable morphology and physiology; but in order that certain distinctions in classification may be more clearly brought out, it is necessary at this point to give a few definitions of the essential organs involved. Sexual reproduction in plants is effected by the union vf male and female elements contained in distinct organs known as sporophylls, The male sporophyll bears microsporanges containing numerous mi- FAMILIES OF FLOWERING PLANTS. 3 crospores, which are the active agents in fertilization. The female sporophyll hears macrosporanges containing macrospores. The latter, when fertilized, develop embryos, which become ultimately new individuais. Among the flowering plants these various organs have received special designations somewhat more familiar in general usage. The male sporophyll is known as a stamen, the microsporange as an anther-sac, one or more of which constitute an anther. The female Fic. 1.—Base of a Californian Sequoia or ‘‘big tree,’’ which represents a vanishing type of gymnospermous vegetation. (After Pinchot, Primer of Forestry, Bull. 24. Div. of Forestry, U. S. Dept. of Agric.). g ci sporophyll consists in the majority of flowering plants of a specially modified leaf called a carpel, which serves as a pouch to contain the macrosporanges or ovules. The carpels collectively form a structure known as an ovary, which is said to be monocarpellary or polycar- pellary according to the number of divisions it contains. Each ovule includes a single macrospore or embryo-sac, and the fertilized ovule becomes a seed, the ripened ovary and its contents a fruit. A flower, on the other hand, or rather the conspicuous portion thereof (calyx and corolla) is merely a group of modified leaves serving as a protection to the enclosed stamens and ovary, which are vital organs. The showy 4 SUPPLEMENT. coloration of these leaves, which are frequently called by the general name of perianth, the presence of nectar-glands, ets., are devices to attract insects and insure proper fertilization. The Spermatophyta are divided into the two following classes, the characters of each being appended: Cuass I. ANGIOSPERMAE. [Greek, signifying covered seeds. | — Plants having their ovules enclosed in 4 sac or ovary formed of one or more carpels. Fertil- ization effected by the growth of a tube from the pollen-grain after it has lodged on the apex of the ovary (stigma); this tube penetrates a small open- ing in the ovule, and through it the contents of the pollen-grain are transferred to the ovule. Cuass II. Gymnosprermar. ([Greek, sig- nifying naked seeds]; Plants having their ovules borne exposed on thesurface of a scale. Fertiliz- ation effected either by the growth of a pollen tube or by the direct contact with the ovule of small moving bodies known as antherozoids, anal- . ogous to the spermatozoids in animals; these are Fic. 2.—Branchiog stem of an Ephedra (amily discharged from the ripe pollen grain after it has Gnetaceze) showing the flow- er clusters. lodged on the female sporophyll. wat Ainley t Oe CHAPTER IL rc ne re pis The Class Gymnospermae. ' ! (Fig. 1.) Jae ifocte ( The Gymnosperms, as they are soundealy called, contain all of our familiar evergreen coniferous trees} ‘and therefore constitute a prominent feature of the forests in the colder temperate regions. The class is of great interest, not only by reason of its antiquity, but because it represents a vanishing type. Not more than 450 species of gymnos- permous plants are now known to exist, while in Cretaceous and Tertiary times the group was much greater. Certain genera like Sequoia, containing the redwoods and big trees of California, at present restricted to a small strip of territory on the Pacific coast, were formerly abundant in many different geological horizons of the country. The gymnosperms represent the lowest type of flowering plants, making a, close approach in the details of their mode of fertilization and devel. FAMILIES OF FLOWERING PLANTS. 5 opment to some of the flowerless plants, while the absence of differenti- ated organs, such as well-marked flowers or floral leaves, emphasizes the same condition. The Gymnospermae include four orders, the Gnetales, Cycadales, Ginkgoales and Coniferales or Coniferae, besides several fossil orders, ORDER GNETALES. (FIG. 2.) This group includes the single family Gnetaceae. The average reader is not likely to meet with the plants comprised in the family. Of the three genera, Gnetum, with 15 species, is native of tropical “rom Coulter’s ‘“ Plant Relations.” Copyright, 1899, by D. Appleton & Co. Fic. 3.—A cultivated Cycad (family Cycadacwe) showing the crown of leaves and palm-like stem. South America and portions of the Old World; Ephedra, comprising 20 species, is found in Mexico, South America and Asia, a few species reaching the extreme southwestern United States, while Tumboa, a genus of a single species, is restricted to a small area on the west coast of Africa. Gnetaceous plants as a rule are shrubs, the leaves either opposite or reduced to small scales. The flowers are borne in dense spikes, and are dioecious, that is, the male and female sporophylls occur on different plants. The floral envelope or perianth is small and membranous or scaly in texture, bearing little resemblance to a flower in the ordinary sense. There is great difference in habit; many 6 SUPPLEMENT. (inetums are woody vines or lianas; Ephedra consists of erect shrubs with green or yellowish articulated branches quite destitute of leaves, while the peculiar Tumboa has a short trunk only a foot high, but several feet in diameter, from which depend two long strap-shaped leaves of so firm a texture that they endure for many years. The Gnetales possess no economic and little ornamental value. The young herbage and the berry-like fruit of Guetum Gnemon is said to be eaten as a vegetable in India. : ORDER CYCADALES. (Fic. 3.) This order, like the last, is restricted to a single family, the Cy- cadacee or Cycad family. The group is of special interest to the botanist, in view of the peculiar method by which fertilization is ef- fected, mention of which has been nade above. Cycads were abundant in prehistoric time, as is evidenced by the large quantities of well-pre- served trunks found in the cretaceous deposits. in Maryland and other localities, The genera are nine in nuwber. Of these, two are Mexi- can, one Cuban, two African, one Australian, and the remainder are distributed through the tropics of both hemispheres. The genus Cycas has a well known representative in cultivation, Cycas revolutu of Japan, It is palm-like in appearace, having a thick short trunk and a crown of of handsome pinnate leaves of firm texture. Zamia is represented by two native species in Florida, where they are known as the coontie or Florida arrowroot. They are low plants, rarely exceeding a foot in height, and cover large tracts in the dry barrens. The leaves are not unlike those of a coarse brake or fern, and the thick erect, mostly sub- terranean stems abound in starchy matter from which a very good grade of arrowroot is obtained, The inflorescence of Cycads is dieecious, like that of the Gnetads. The male and female flowers are produced separately in dense cones, and consist merely of anthers and ovules without any perianth, borne on thick scales. The seeds are either hard or with spongy. outer cover- ing. Although our cultivated cycads and the native species of Zamia above referred to are dwarf plants, yet in tropical regions members of this group are often tall in stature, with unbranched trunks resembling those of palms, and large crowns of pinnate leaves. SUPPLEMENT. THE FAMILIES OF FLOWERING PLANTS. By Cuaries Louts .Poinarp. ORDER GINKGOALES. (Fig. 4.) HIS strange group is limited to a single family, Ginkgoacez, | the latter moreover consisting of a single genus, Ginkgo, with one species, (7. biloba, the ginkgo or maidenhair tree’ of China and Japan. ‘Though formerly of rare occurrence in cultivation here, the tree is now frequently used to shade parkways and avenues, though it is not hardy in a severe climate. It is of conical outline, very symmetrical, with thick, slender-petioled irregularly fan- shaped leaves, often more or less lobed or incised at the broad outer margin, and wedge-shaped at the base. The plants are dioecious, separate individ- uals bearing the male and female in- florescences; a spray of leaves with the staminate flowers is shown in Fig. 4. The fruit is bright yellow in color, similar in appearance to a cherry, and fleshy in texture, with a hard central seed of stone; it is also distinguished for its nauseating odor. One of the finest plantation of these trees in this coun- try is to be observed along the avenue leading up to the Department of Agri- se iy develes foam ake culture building, in Washington. Dur- Bras ag RIG ie Eonar) ing the summer, when they are clothed with their full wealth of foliage, these ginkgos possess a unique beauty which is unrivalled by any other ornamental shrub or tree. s ° FAMILIES OF FLOWERING PLANTS. ORDER CONIFERAE. We have now reached the largest and by far the most important group among the Gymnosperms, comprising as it does, some of the most valuable timber trees in the world. In referring to the pines, spruces and junipers of our northern forests the average individual is apt to use the terms ‘‘evergreen’’ and ‘coniferous’? somewhat loosely and inter- changeably. An evergreen plant is merely one which retains its foliage until after the new growth has begun to develop. A conifer, on the other hand, is a plant belonging to the order Coniferae, and so named on account of the characteristic fruit; thus while most conifers are evergreen and a large part of our evergreens in temperate climates are conifers, it will be seen that the two terms are not synonymous. This cone-fruit varies greatly in size, shape and structure in different genera, and there is even great diversity among the species of a single genus, as will be seen on reference to Fig. 5, which represents the cones of Fic. 5.—Cones. Beginning at the left, Coulter’s pine, Western white pine, Eastern white pine, Knob-cone pine, Foxtail pine, Pitch pine, Lodge-pole pine, Red fir, Short-leaf pine, Eastern hemlock, and Eastern arbor-vitae. (After Pinchot, Bull. 24, Div. of Forestry, U.S. Dep't of Agric). several pines. A cone consists of a central axis bearing adjoining or overlapping scales, which may be hard and woody or fleshy in texture, The male flowers of conifers usually resemble catkins in appearance; they consist of scalelike leaves or bracts bearing the pollen-sacs be- neath. The ovules are likewise borne on or within the scales of the cone, and ripen into nutlike fruits. The wood structure in the conifers is of interest to the student of plant anatomy, the wood being uniform \ FAMILIES OF FLOWERING PLANTS. 9 in texture, without the ducts (known technically as tracheids) which traverse ordinary woods; it is freely permeated, however, by resin canals. The foliage of conifers is usually svale-like or needle-shaped, though sometimes exhibiting broad and expanded blades. The geogra- phical distribution of the trees helonging to this order is quite exten- sive, although marked peculiarity is shown in individual groups. The largest genera range through the temperate regions of both hemispheres, while many of the smaller genera are restricted to a very limited terri-. tory. The reader interested in this phase of the subject will do well to consult Professor Coulter’s article in Vol. II], No. 2, of Tar Prantr Wortb, which discusses the distribution of individual groups. In Fic. 6.—Spruces bordering a peat bog. Farther back are. tumaracks and pines. The flowers seen in the bog are those of the snake-mouth orchid (Pogonia ophioglossoides). (From MacMil- lan’s ‘“Minnesota Plant Lite” by courtesy of the author). respect to habitat, coniferous trees usually present well marked areas or zones; thus everyone is familiar with the tamarack swamps of the north, the cypress swamps of the south, and the tracts of pine woods where a single species is the dominant type, in many parts of the country. This is well illustrated in Fig. 6. After these general considerations we may proceed to examine the various groups into which the Coniferae are divided. There are two 1 10 FAMILIES OF FLOWERING PLANTS. families, the Pine (Pinaceee) and Yew (Taxacex), It will be remem- bered that the other orders of Gymnosperms, namely the Cycadales, Gnetales and Ginkgoales consisted each of a single family. Prnacear, the Pine Famity. These are distinguished mainly by the fruit, which is a true cone with distinct scales, although these are sometimes coherent into a structure closely simulating a berry, as in the junipers. The ovules are enclosed and ripen within these scales. The Pine family is itself divisible into four well-marked tribes, which those familiar with different types of our native and cultivated conifers will have no difficulty in recognizing. These are, the Areucercew, or 54 Norfolk Island pines; the .1h/-tcnew, including pines, firs, spruces and ~ hemlocks; the Zurodiar, containing the Sequoias and bald cypresses ; and the Cipress(neuc, with the true cypresses and junipers. Tribe Araucarieae.—Two genera, Ayuth/x, with 4 species, natives of Australia and Malaysia; ulvaveer/a, with 10 species, natives of South America and Australasia. The former genus consists of the kauri-pines, well known to Australian lumbermen. | ul «ustra//s yields dammar resin or gum dammar, an important article of commerce. Araucaria is familiar from the dwarf cultivated specimens seen in florists’ windows ; the foliage is of a rich dark green hue and is arranged symmetrically in horizontal whorls, one above another. In their native habitat these trees attain lofty proportions. Tribe Abietineae.—Eight genera, of which the most important are, Pinus, the pine, with 70 species of wide distribution ; Cvdrus, the cedar of Lebanon, with 3 Asiatic and African species; Zarir, the larch, with 8 species; Picea, the spruce, with 12 species, also widely distributed; Zsuga, the hemlock, with 6 species; and Addes, the fir, with about 20. This group includes most of the valuable coniferous timber trees. The wood is of every variety, from the familiar soft white pine to the hard and tough cedar. The genera from which the most useful woods are secured are Pinus, Picea, Abves and Cedrus. Turpentine, a substance now constantly used for various purposes in the arts, is the product of various pines, notably in the United States of the long-leaved pine (P. palustris); in Europe of the Scotch pine (P. sylvestris) and the Corsican pine (P. Luricio). Various resins are obtained from other genera of the group, the well known spruce gum, which is now practically supplanted in the trade by artificial prepara- tions, being a familiar example. Terebinth, a balsamic resin, is de- rived from several firs and pines; it is to this that the delightful frag- FAMILIES OF FLOWERING PLANTS. 11 rance of the fir-balsam (Abies balsamea) is due. Fig. 7 illustrates the cones and cone-scales of several native spruces, while Fig. 8 affords a view of a northern tamarack swamp. . Fic. 7.—Branch, cones and cone-scales of various spruces. (From Bull. 73. veoath Agric. Iixp. Station, by Miss Anua Clark. Loaned by the Univ of Vermont). Tribe Taxodieae,—Seven genera, each with one or two species, all natives of eastern Asia except Seguoca, with 2 Californian species, and ~ Taxodium, the bald cypress, with one in Mexico and one in the eastern United States. The members of this tribe furnish conspicuous ex- amples of the vanishing type of gymnospermous vegetation to which we have already made reference (See Supplement, page 4). The stately Sequoias, monarchs of the Californian forest, are probably doomed to ultimate extinction, though the redwood (S. sempervirens) is much more abundant than the giant sequoia (S. Washingtoniana), which exists now only in a few carefully preserved groves. The enormous dimensions attained by these trees are well shown in Fig. 1 of the Supplement. The bald cypress (Zaxodium distichum) is familiar to every one who has made a pilgrimage to the Dismal Swamp of Vir- ginia or to any of the large tidal swamps along the southeastern At- lantic coast. Though often grown as a shade tree in southern cities it needs a wet soil in order to thrive, and in such situations it usually develops the remarkable ‘‘knees’’ to a wonderful extent. These knees are woody projections thrown up around the base of the trunk, coni- cal in outline, with a rounded apex, projecting sometimes a foot or more above the surface of the swamp. The bole of the trunk itself is often enormously enlarged, serving as a buttress to anchor the tree firmly in place. A similar enlargement may be seen in many other 12 FAMILIES OF FLOWERING PLANTS. trees growing in such situations, and illustrates an adaptation to envi- ronment of which plant life furnished so many interesting examples. The purpose of the knees is not only to furnish the tree with props, FI. 8. —Tamarack swamp with border of sedges. (From MacMillan’s ‘Minnesota Plant Life” by courtesy of the author). but to admit air to the roots, as is proven fe the fact that the trees are frequently killed when flooded above the tops of the knees. Tribe Cupressineae.—Nine genera, the species of which are very widely distributed. The most important are Callitr’s, with 15 Afri- can and Australian species; Zibocedrus, with 8 species in America and New Caledonia; Cupressus, with 12 widely scattered species; Chani- wcyparis, with 4in North America and Japan; and Juniperus, contain- ing 40 species, distributed throughout the whole temperate zone. Sev- eral species of Chamacwcyparis, particularly the Lawson’s cypress (C. Lawsoniana) and the yellow cypress (C. Wutkaensis) both occur- ring on the Pacific coast, are valued both as timber trees and as orna- mental shrubs in cultivation. Cupressus and Libocedrus also furnish valuable timber. An African species of Callitris, the sandarac tree, yields sandarac, which is a white resin, used both as an incense and in FAMILIES OF FLOWERING PLANTS. 13 the preparation of a light varnish. The wood of this tree is of a handsome mahogany color, and is extensively used in Morocco in the construction of mosques and similiar buildings. The junipers have cones in which the scales cohere into a fleshy berry, well known as ‘juniper berries.’’ These are usually highly aromatic, and those of the common juniper (J. communis) yield a volatile oil used in medicine as a diuretic and stimulant; they are also employed in the manufacture of gin. The wood of our common red cedar (J. Virg/niana) is almost exclusively used in lead-pencil manufacture. Fic. 9.—Leaves and staminate flowers of the stinking cedar (Tumion taxifolium). Also section of fruit: the whole reduced one-half. TaxacEAr, the Yew Famity. This is a much smaller group than the Pinaceae, consisting only of two tribes. The family is dis- tinguished chiefly by the fruit, which is not a perfect cone, the ovules projecting beyond the scales or the latter wholly absent; the seed is 14 FAMILIES OF FLOWERING PLANTS. usually invested with a hard or pulpy integument known as an aril. Frequently the fruit resembles a plum in having an outer fleshy coat- ing and a hard seed within. The foliage exhibits more diversity than in the Pine family. Tribe Podocarpeae.—Four genera, three of eastern Asia, and one containing a single Patagonian species. The largest genus, Podocar- pus, includes about 40 species, several of which are cultivated as or- namental shrubs, Tribe Taxeae.—Four genera, two confined to eastern Asia and Malaysia; the others are Zazus, the yew, with about 8 species of tem- perate regions; and Zumion (Torreya) an interesting genus with a re- markable distribution, namely, one species in Florida and California, and two in China and Japan. The English yew (Zaxus baccata) be comes a large forest tree, and is highly valued for its timber, as is also the Oregon yew (7. brevifolia). The yews of the eastern United States, on the other hand, are low straggling shrubs, ornamental only for their red, cup-shaped fruits, which are eagerly sought by birds. The stinking cedar of Florida (Zumion taxi fol/um) is one of the rarest North American trees, being confined to a linited area on the Apala- chicola river. The name is in allusion to the odor exhaled by the herbage when bruised. The foliage is dark green and very handsome (see Fig. 9). The fruit is large and plum-like in appearance. SUPPLEMENT. THE FAMILIES OF FLOWERING PLANTS. By Crartrs Louts Ponzarp. CHAPTER II]. Class Angiosperiuac.—From Screw-pines to Tape-grass. E have already discussed and explained the differences be- tween the two classes of flowering plants known as Angios- permae and Gymnuspermae (see Supplement, page 4). (‘The Angiospermae are divided into two general sections, each of which may be easily recognized, and which are of such importance that their names and characters should be memorized: 1. MonocoryLepons. Plants that produce on germination a single seed-leaf or cotyledon. Leaves for the most part with veins running from base to apex, or from midrib to margin in parallel series. Part of the flower nearly always in threes or some multiple of three. Wood of the stem with no annual rings or lay- q ers. Examples, palms, lilies, grasses, sedges. From Coulter's ¢ Plant Relations,” (See Fig. 10.) RE ee ere enone ee 2. DicoryLepons. Plants that produce seu. He ae ee on germination usually two seed-leaves or co- cross-section, with the seat- tyledons. Leaves with reticulated or netted tered bundles. . veins. Parts of the flower rarely in threes, mainly in or fives fours, or some multiple of these numbers. Wood of the stem with marked annual rings or layers. Examples, maples, elms, buttercups, daisies, peas. (See Fig. 11.) The great mass of our northern vegetation, including almost all ‘the native trees, belongs to the second class. The Monocotyledons are the simplest and lowest of the flowering plants; this is proven not only by their structure, but by the fact that in past geological time 16 FAMILIES OF FLOWERING PLANTS. they appeared on the earth’s surface in advance of the Dicotyledons. The three Monocotyledonous orders which will be discussed in this paper consist entirely of aquatic or marsh plants, most of them with From ‘“‘oulter’s ‘‘ Plant Relations.” Copyrigh*, 1599, by D. Appleton & Co. Fic. 11.—Section of box-elder twig show- ing the annual rings of growth, the vascular region (w) the pith rays (m) and the cortex (c). : inconspicuous flowers and little or no economic value. (See Fig. 12.) The Pandanales are herbs, shrubs or trees, their flowers with a perianth composed merely of bristles or chaffy scales. The Helobiae (so named in allusion to their marsh loving pro- pensities) are all herbs, with a fleshy green or corolla like perianth; while the Triuridales, comprising a single family, consist mostly of saprophytic herbs, or plants deriving their sub- sistence from decaying vegetable matter, and thus wholly destitute of leaves. < Fic. 12.—Zones of aquatic vegetation. In the center pond lilies; at the edge smart- weed; farther back cat-tails, blue flags, sweet flags and sedges; still farther back soft turf with grass, moss, sedges and milkweed. (From MacMillan’s Minnesota Plant Life, by - courtesy of the author. FAMILIES OF FLOWERING PLANTS. 17 ORDER PANDANALES. Family Pandanaceae.—Screw-pine Family. Two genera, natives exclusively of the tropics of the Old World. The plants are dis- tinguished by their long and attenuate leaves of firm texture like those of a century plant; the margins and keel are usually spiny. The small flowers, quite destitute of any sort of perianth, are subtended by numerous bracts and are borne in dense clusters; they consist of many stamens and an ovary composed of a single carpel, succeeded by a large and fleshy fruit with a hard or woody external surface. Several species of Pundanus are common foliage plants in greenhouses, their long arched leaves and graceful habit rendering them particularly appropriate as center pieces in groups. In their native habitat the plants form impenetrable swamps, producing numerous interlacing aerial roots like those of the mangrove. Family Typhaceae.—Cat-tail Family. This contains but a single genus, Zypha, which is always easily recognizable. The plants are stout and reed-like in habit, with long sword-shaped leaves and wand- like spikes which consist of in- numerable tiny flowers, reduced. to mere stamens and pistils,. with no perianth or floral en- velope, but with numerous in- termixed bristles. The upper portion of the spike, at flower- ing time, is lighter in color and less dense; this is com- bey posed entirely of stamens, which ’ soon fall away, leaving the pis- tils below to form a cotton-like mass in fruit. The flowers are thus said to be monoecious (Greek, dwelling in one house- hold), because the two sexes, although separate, occur on the 4 ej # YG + . 4 : ‘i Fic. 13.—The broad-fruited bur-reed’ (Sparganium same plant. Typha contalns eurycarpinn) showing flowering branch and a detach- r 1 i i ‘})_ ed fruit enlarged. (After Britton and Brown, Il. abous 12 species, widely distrib Speer irae uted in temperate and tropical reigons, though always found in marshes. In many of our western states the spikes are used as ‘‘swabs’’ for the purpose of cleaning lamp chim- 18 FAMILIES OF FLOWERING PLANTS. neys. The pollen, which is produced in great quantities during the flowering season, is sometimes employed in place of lycopodium spores as an absorbent powder. Family Sparganiaceae.—Bur-reed Family. This also consists of a single genus, Sparganium, and it was formerly included among the cat-tails. The plants possess an entirely different aspect,. however; the flowers are monoecious, as in Zypha, but they are borne in several globular heads on the upper branches of the stem, and not in a single terminal spike. (See Fig. 13.) The fruit is hard and nutlike, much larger than that of the cat-tail, and without any intermixed bristles, while the leaves are thin and grasslike. Sparganinm contains about 8 species, natives of temperate regions; they are not known to pos- sess any economic uses, ORDER HELOBIAE. Family Naiadaceae.—Pondweed Family. About 10 genera, widely distributed, of which Potamogeton is the only one of much size or importance, containing about 50 species, 30 of which occur in the eastern United States and a large proportion of them in New Eng- Jand alone. Slow streams and rather shallow ponds form the favorite haunts of these plants, whose smooth oval leaves floating on the surface of the water may be noticed in many such situa- tions. All the pondweeds are im- mersed aquatics with slender, often branching stems and small greenish flowers usually borne in spikes; they are either perfect’ Fig. 14.—Clasping-leaved pondweed (Pota- (having the stamens and pistils in mogeton perfoliatus) with enlarged fruit and : F a : ; section of the latter. (After Britton and the same flower), monoecious oF Brown, Ill. Fl. North. U.S.) dioecious, in some cases wholl y des- titute of floral envelopes, in others with a perianth of four distinct segments. In this latter respect it will be seen that they are exceptional among the monocotyledons, which it will be remembered are usually distinguished by the three- ‘ FAMILIES OF FLOWERING PLANTS. 19 parted perianth. The ovary is composed of several distinct carpels which become small stone fruits or nutlets. A curious feature of the pondweeds, particularly in 2’otamogeton, is the difference in shape often exhibited between the immersed leaves and those that float on the sur- face of the water. Thus P. Sp/r///us has its floating leaves oval or elliptical, while its submersed leaves are narrowly linear; this peculiar- ity is the result of the plant’s adaptation to the conditions under which it grows, the exposure to air and sunlight tending to the production of expanded blades. In species which grow wholly submerged there is no difference in the shape of the leaves. (See Fig. 14.) The ‘genus Aponogeton, composed of about 15 Old World species, contains some beautiful ornamental] aquatics, known as lattice-plants on account of the open lace-like tissues of their leaves, which appear as if pierced by many holes. Family Scheuchzeriaceae.—(Juncaginaceae). Arrow-grass Family. Four genera and only about 10 species, of wide distribution. All are marsh plants, with rush-like or sedge-like leaves and small perfect flowers born in spikes or racemes. The perianth is in two series, thus showing traces of differentiation into a calyx and corolla; the ovary is composed of several carpels, slightly united. Zr/glochin, the best known genus, with three North American species, is found in salt marshes along the coast and in alkaline situations in the interior of the continent, its small greenish spike and linear or filiform leaves being quite inconspicuous. Family Alismaceae?—Water-Plan- tain Family. Thirteen genera and about 65 species, widely distributed in fresh water swamps. ‘The plants are herbs with long petioled leaves and scapose flowers borne in broad panicles or racemes. The flowers vary greatly ; / in structure, being perfect, monoecious jutacnes Gene le. Glee or dioecious; but they are always borne ee vi euleteed felt rea ence: in whorls on the peduncle, and possess — Nortn. v. s.) a perianth, usually in two distinct series. The ovaries are often numerous, each carpel becoming a small 20 FAMILIES OF FLOWERING PLANTS. flattened achene somewhat like that of a buttercup. The plantain-like leaves from which the popular name of the family is derived are most conspicuous in w{/ési«, which is a familiar bog plant throughout the continent. In this genus the flowers are small and inconspicuous, but in Sug/ttar/a they are often of some beauty, the inner perianth series, or corolla, consisting of three large white petals of the texture of crépe. Sagitturiu is called arrowhead from the shape of its leaves, which exhibit great diversity of form, but in many species are more or less like an arrow or spear head in outline. (See Fig. 15.) Family Butomaceae.— Water Poppy Family. Four genera, each monotypic, or consisting of a single species, and all exotics. The characters of the family, how- ever, are well illustrated in the beautiful yellow water poppy (ydroceys — nymphordes) 80 often cultivated in ponds and tubs. The plants are herbs with extensively creeping root- stocks, or branching stems, and scapose flowers, solitary in the water poppy and umbelled in the other genera; the flowers are perfect, with a perianth composed of calyx and corolla, the latter often conspicuous. The fruit resembles that of the arrowhead or water plantain, but the*ovary contains more numerous ovules. I'am. 16.—Tape grass or wild celery, ( Vallixneria u o - spiralis) showing enlarged staminate and pistillate Fami I y Vallisner laceae flowers, also the fruit, (After Britton and Brown, (H ydocharid aceae).—Tape- Ill. Fl. North. U.S ) : . grass or Frog’s-bit Family. Fourteen genera and £0 species of wide distribution, chiefly tropical. The only genera occurring in American are Vallisneria, Philotria and Malophila. The family is distinguished mainly by the divecious flowers, produced from the axils of enveloping bracts known as spathes; there is a small perianth com- posed of three to six segments. It is an interesting fact that V7///s- nerid, the true eel-grass or ‘‘wild celery’’, whose long ribbon-like FAMILIES OF FLOWERING PLANTS. 21 strands are often seen on sea beaches, furnishes the chief food for the wild ducks, and contributes much to the delicate flavor of the canvas- back. The mode of fertilization in this plant is remarkable. The staminate flower becomes detached while still in the form of a bud, and expands floating on the surface of the water; the liberated pollen soon reaches the pistillate flowers, whose long peduncles have brought them to the surface; after fertilization the scapes contract spirally, so as to bring the young fruit below the surface while it is maturing, (See Figs. 16 and 17.) ORDER TRIURIDALES. Family Triuridaceae.—Tailflower Family. Two or three genera and few species, entirely tropical. They are terrestrial and saprophytic herbs of small size, yellowish or reddish in color and entirely leafless; the flowers are monoecious, borne in racemes, or sometimes solitary; the perianth consists of a single series of three or more segments. The flowers are often fringed, while those of Zréw7/s are provided with thre& long tail-like appendages to the perianth lobes, thus giving the name to the family. , These little plants are interesting to the botanist, but they are of no economic value. SSS —— oalior's © Plant Relations? Copyrreht, Is by D. Appleton Co Fic. 17.—Tape-grass or wild celery (Vallisneria spiralis) showing habit of growth and mode of fertilization. (After Kerner.) SUPPLEMENT. THE FAMILIES OF FLOWERING PLANTS. By Cuarues Louts PoLiarp. CHAPTER IV. Order Glumiflorae.—The Grasses and Sedges. HERE are probably no two families of flowering plants more T likely to be confused by the amateur than the Gramineae and Cyperaceae, known popularly as the grasses and sedges. The farmer would designate both groups by the comprehensive term ‘thay’, and would find examples Y~ of. each in the mowings from salt marsh as well as from upland meadow. ‘There are, however, important differences between the families, and sincé from the eco- nomic standpoint the grasses are of the highest value, while the sedges are nearly worthless, it is well to understand these differ- ences thoroughly at the outset. Family Gramineae (some- times called Poaceae).—Grass Family. «This is one of the largest families of flowering plants, over 300 genera and 3500 species being recognized. They are widely distributed in all coun- a tries, and present astonishing ex- Fic. 18—Buffalo grass, Bulbilis dactyloides. tremes in size from the diminutive Seribner, Bull. No. 7, Div. of Agrost., . . - v. oe ot Agro) i herbaceous Phippsia of arctic re- 24 FAMILIES OF FLOWERING PLANTS. gions to the lofty arborescent bamboos of the tropics. The inflores- cence consists of what are technically called spikelets, each of which Fie. 19.—Barnyard grass (Panicum Crus-galli). (After Britton and Brown, Ill. Fl. Northern U. S.) is made up of small imbricated chaffy scales. Some of these scales are empty; others enclose the sta- mens, usually three in number, and the pistil; and each of these flower- bearing scales usually encloses an additional, very slender scale known as the palet. Every individual floret thus consists of the essential organs of reproduction, surrounded by two protecting scales; one or more of the florets are borne together on a slender axis, forming a spikelet; while the innumerable spikelets may be clustered together in « spike, as in timothy, or borne in an open branching panicle, as in red top, Kentucky blue grass, and many other species. The leaves of these plants are so well known that the term grass-like is common as a standard of comparison. At the junc- tion of leaf and stem, where the base of the leaf usually forms a complete- ly enwrapping sheath, will be noticed in most cases a pecaliar membranous ring or protuberance; this is called the ligule, a name derived from its suggestion of a little thong or strap, and it is an indisputable proof, if present, that we have a grass and not a sedge or rush before us. The grass stem or culm is hollow, ex- cept at the joints. Little need be said of the value of grasses for forage and. pastur- age; indeed they furnish nine-tenths of the subsistence of domesticated herbivorous animals, and with the Fic. 20.—Forked Beard-grass (Andro- pagon furcatus), (After Britton and Brown, Ill, Fl. Northern U. 8.) FAMILIES OF FLOWERING PLANTS. 25 possible single exception of Loliwm temulentum, no species is poisonous or even injurious to stock. All of our cereals, wheat, rye, barley, oats, rice, maize, etc., are derived p fe Vz A KA NS NS NS NG 1. Fic. 21.—Beckmannia grass. (Beck- from various grasses, many of which have their wild relatives growing abundantly in our fields. Thus the sorghum of commerce belongs to the same genus as the dreaded ‘‘Johnson- grass’’ of the south (Sorghum hale- pense), one of the worst usurpers of cultivated lands. Its value as a source of ‘food products alone would lend importance to the grass family; but besides their primary use in furnishing nutrition the grasses exhibit many economic uses. Some species are used for hat-plaiting, mat-weaving and _bas- ket-weaving; others furnish material for the paper industry, and the genus mannia erucaeformis) (After Britton Andr opogon contributes to the man- and Brown, Ill. Fl. Northern U. 8.) ufacture of perfumery. The arborescent grass known as factor in the industrial arts of oriental countries. Boats,. houses, furniture, quill-work, fences, water- wheels, handles for tools, umbrel- las, knives, and countless small ob- jects of use and beauty will be re- membered as formed from the tough tubes of this oriental grass, while - the young shoots are preserved as sweetmeats, and Jampwicks are made from the pith. Bamboo carvings rival ivory in their delicacy and durability, the polished joints of the plant serve as writing tablets for the natives of Sumatra, and even tele- ' scopes have been made of bamboo stalks, Bamboo (Bambusa) is a great FAM. 22.—Kalm’s chess (Bromus Kalmii). (After Britton and Brown, Il. Fl. Northern U.S.) 26 FAMILIES OF FLOWERING PLANTS. Many grasses with rapidly growing and branching rootstocks as the beach grass (Ammophila arenaria) share with numerous sedges the é important function of sand-bind- ers; that is, they serve to hold the drifting sands along the coast and prevent the soil from being carried away by wind and waves. A number of species like the various pamras grasses of South America, the ribbon-grass (/’ha- laris) the ‘Job’s tears,’’ (Cot lachryma) and others are highly ornamental in cultivation, retain- ing their beauty when dried and cut. The use of several Andro- pogons in the manufacture of perfume has been mentioned; but it should be remembered that our 3 own sweet vernal grass (Anthow- & anthum odoratum) when cut, properly dried and placed be- tween thin papers will exhale a delicate fragrance far superior to that of any sachet powder. While enumerating the uses _ sof this family we must reluctantly 7S admit that it contains also some of Fi. 23.—Creeping Panic-grass (Panicum repens. the worst weeds known to farm- (After Scribner, Bull. No. 7, Div. of Agrost., U. S. sags Dept. of Agric.) ers. The couch grass (Zriticum repens) the crab grass (Syntheris- ma sanguinalis) and several others are extremely difficult to eradicate when they have once taken possession of the ground. Among the largest genera of the Graminee may be mentioned Andropogon, with about 200 species; Paspalum, with 300; Panicum, with nearly 800; Agrostis, 100; Calamagrostis, 150; Danthonia, 100; Eragrostis, 100; Poa, 200; Festuca, 250; and Bambusa, 50. The figures illustrate various distinct types, showing in each case enlarged views of the in- florescence as well as the habit of the plant; the general similarity of structure however, will be noticed throughout. Fig. 244.—Wild rice, Zizania aquatica. Fic. 25.—Minnesota Muhlenbergia (After Britton and Brown, Ill. Fl. North- (Muhlenbergia ambigua). (After Britton ern U.S.) and Brown, Ill. Fl. Northern U. S.) Fic. 26.—Timothy grass (Phleum pratense). (After Fic. 27.—Broom grass, Andropogon Virginicus. Scribner, Bull. No. 7, Div. of Agrost., U.S. Dept. of (After Scribver, Bull. No.7, Div. of Agrost., U. Agric.) S. Dept. of Agric.) Fie. 24.—Wild rice, Zizania aquatica. Fic. 25.—Minnesota Mublenbergia (After Britton and Brown, Ill. Fl. North- (Muhlenbergia ambigua). (After Brit- ern U.S.) ton, Ill. Fl. Northern U.S.) Fic. 26.—Timothy grass (Phlewm pratense). (After FG. 27.—Broom grass, Andropogon Virginicus. Scribner, Bull. No. 7, Div. of Agrost., U.S. Dept. of (After Scribner, Bull. No.7, Div. of Agrost., U Agric.) S. Dept. of Agric.) ADVERTISEMENTS. Florida Plants. —~ The undersigned offers for sale a number of sets of plants collected on the Keys of Southern Florida, including several new species of phanerogams, and a very interesting series of parasitic fungi. The sets will contain from 200 to 250 specimens, and are offered at the rate of $10.00 per hundred. Address MR. E. L. MORRIS, Western High School, Washington, D. C. ADVERTISEMENTS. The Plant World. VOLUME IIL. Enlarged and Jmproved in Many Ways. Each issue is to contain an illustrated supplement describing and explaining the Families of Flowering Plants, so that the amateur may learn family relationships in a short time. Among other interesting features will be a series of illustrated biographies of early American botanists; articles on ecology, or the science of plant-relationships; notes, news and reviews of current literature, Subscription Price, One Dollar. We still have on hand a limited number of Volumes I and I, which will be sold for the present at the uniform price of One Dollar per volume, post paid. Extra copies of the Supplement may be had for 5 cents a piece or 50 cents a dozen. Address all orders to The Plant World Company, 321-323 4 Street Northwest, WASHINGTON, D. C. SUPPLEMENT. THE FAMILIES OF FLOWERING PLANTS. By Cuaries Louis Portnarp. CHAPTER IV. (Continued.) Grass family, embracing 75 genera and about 2800 species, 700 of which are contained in the single genus Carew. Sedges are widely distributed over the globe, some genera being characteristic of arctic or high alpine regions, while others form impenetrable jungles or ‘‘prakes”’ in tropical swamps. The larger proportion of the species prefer wet ground, al- though many of our commonest forms may be found along dry roadsides or in upland meadows. The economic uses of these plants are not very extensive. The stems of the common bul- rush, Scirpus lacustris afford material for the manufacture of mats, baskets, and the so-called ‘‘rush-bottomed”’ chairs; while certain species of Curve and Cyperus are not without value as forage plants. Many sedges : growing along the sea coast Fic. Boi automa Capers (Cyperus strigo- perform important service as sus.) After Britton and Brown, Ill. Fl. Northern ‘sand binders.’ sea There are many points of similarity in floral structure between the sedges and the grasses, In T" family Cyperaceae, or Sedge family, is less extensive than the 30 FAMILIES OF FLOWERING PLANTS. both the infloresence consists of spikes or panicles, made up of small Fic. 29.—Dark green Bulrush (Scirpus atrovirens). After Britton and Brown, Ill. Fl. Northern U. S. spikelets; but the flower-bearing scale in a sedge is single, while in a grass it is double. Moreover the sedges often exhibit some traces of a floral envelope in the shape of a crown of bristles, while the grasses are quite destitute of perianth. The sedge leaves are sometimes flat and grass-like, sometimes slender and wiry, or ‘‘terete,’’ as they are tech- nically called. The little thong- shaped appendage called a, ligule, borne at the junction of leaf and stem in grasses, is entirely wanting in the sedges; and finally, the latter family have stems that are solid and more or less three-angled. Figure 28 illustrates a species of Cyperus common in the eastern United States, and will afford a good idea of the general plan of structure in the group. Figures 29 and 30 repre- sent types of the two large genera Scirpus and Carex. Fic. 30.—Bristly Sedge (Carex comosa). After BrittonZand Brown, Ill, Fl. North- ern U.S, FAMILIES OF FLOWERING PLANTS. 31 CHAPTER V. Order Principes. The Palms. This order comprises but a single family, the Palmaceae or Palm family, an extremely well marked natural group of plants, so charac- teristic in their aspect that the term ‘‘palm-Jike’’ whether applied to leaf or trunk, is to most persons self-explanatory. The family .con- sists entirely of trees and shrubs, and is now essentially tropical in its distribution, although there is geological evidence that palms were found throughout the United States before the glacial epoch. There are about 150 genera and 1000 species, of which seven genera are represented by one or more species each in the extreme Southern States and in Southern California, while two, the date and cocoanut -palm, oecur spontaneously as escapes from cultivation. The palm stem is one of our most typical examples of the so- -called endogenous structure among the Monocotyledons (See Supple- ment, page 15). A cross-section shows no annual rings or circles of wood, but a homogeneous mass of pith through which the bundles-df woody fiber will be found irregularly distributed. Palms have no true bark, but the external rind is often very hard, and difficult to cut with an axe. The growth is from a terminal bud, and the leaves are produced in a graceful cluster at the summit of the stem; as the lower ones decay and fall off, their sheathing petioles remain, forming a fibrous network. The flowers are borne in dense, fleshy flower -clus- ters to which the term spadiz is applied; they are usually enveloped or subtended by a large tough bract called a spathe. The flowers or moncecious or -dicecious, the male and female sporophylls being borne separately on the same or different plants. We find in this family the first well-marked floral envelope, consisting of two series (calyx and corolla); it is usually leathery in texture, and green or yellow in color. The stamens are from three to six; and the fruit is either a drupe or stone fruit, as in the date, or a berry, as in the common cabbage pal- metto of the South. From the economic standpoint the palms constitute the most ém- portant family among the monocotyledons; the trunks and leaves furnish building materials; in addition to their edible fruits they yield starch, sugar and oils, as well as various useful fibers; almost all the species are ornamental, and many respond well to cultivation. In this connection it will be profitable to examine the leading subdivision of Fic. 31.—Royal palm (Oreodowa regia). After 9 photograph made by Mr. G. N. Collins at Rio Piedras, Porto Rico, FAMILIES OF FLOWERING PLANTS. 33 family, and the more important genera contained in each. 1. Subfamily Coryphoidee. The type genus, Coryp/ha, includes a number of useful palms, such as the talipot (CL wubraculiferv) the taliera (C. Zaliera) and the gebang (C. gebanga). The leaves in this group are nainly fan-shaped, and are utilized not only in the manu- facture of fans, but of hats, baskets and other articles. Walking- sticks are made from the stems of the Penang lawyer, a species of Licuala growing in Penang. The genus Chamacrops includes the only palm growing in Southern Europe; it is a dwarf species, similar in general appearance to the saw palmetto of our southern pine barrens. The date palm (Phoenix dactylifera) is the most important tree of this tribe; its uses are too well known to require discussion. Within re-. cent years the date has been introduced into cultivation in certain parts of Arizona, with fair prospect of success. The common Chinese fan pilin of cultivation belongs to the genus Livéstona. 2. Subfamily Borassoideae. This includes the Palmyra palm (Borassus flabell/fornis) which is one of the sources of palm wine and palm sugar known as juggery. The leaves are used for thatching, and for the manufacture.of many useful articles; the fruit contains edible seeds, and its pulp is roasted and eaten. Probably no other species of pln yields a greater variety of products than this. The doum palm (Hyphene Thebuica) is unique in the possession of branching stems; its fruit isa staple article of diet in Arabia. The singular fruits known as ‘‘sea-cocoanuts’’ are the product of a palm known as Lo- doicea Sechellarwm,; it is something of a botanical curiosity, being confined to the Seychelles Islands, and is likely to become extinct in the near future. 3. Subfamily Lepidocaryoidee. The Soutn American ita palm, Manritia flexuosa, is another species affording many useful products; it furnishes a valuable fiber, and is one of the sources of jaggery. The genus Calamus includes a large number of species, all Asiatic, known as rattan or cane palms; some are low bushes, others climb by means of hooked spines on their Jeaf-stalks. Rattan is a familiar article of commerce derived from these species, while several yield a a good quality of sago or starch, and one, C. Draco, the drug known as dragon’s blood. 4. Subfamily Ceroxyloidee. The betel palm, Areca Catechu, and the numerous species of Arcea seen in cultivation afford illustra- tions of the beauty of palms belonging to this genus. Their long 34 FAMILIES OF FLOWERING PLANTS. pinnate leaves are arched in graceful curves, and they frequently at- tain lofty proportions. The royal palm, Oreodoxa regia, is common in the West Indies; the fine photograph reproduced in Figure 31: was made in Porto Rico by Mr. G. N. Collins. The conspicuous swelling of the trunk affords an easy means of recognizing this tree. The cocoanut palm (Cocos nucifera) is familiar to most persons; it is quite common on the Florida Keys and is employed as a shade tree in Key West (See Fig. 32). Many other genera of pinnate-leaved palms be- longing to this family afford beautiful examples for cultivation, The Fic. 32.—Cocoanut palms around a dwelling in Key West. After a photograph by Mr. G. N, Collins. oil palm (Zleis Guineensis) is a native of Western Africa, and is one of the chief sources of palm oil. This group also includes the coquita palm of Chili (Jubea spectabilis) and the piassata of Brazil (Aétalea funifera). 5. Subfamily Phytelephantoideae. The principal genus of this group is the type, Phytelephas, native of tropical America, and put to numerous local uses by the natives. SUPPLEMENT. THE FAMILIES OF FLOWERING PLANTS. By Caries Louis Poiuarp. CHAPTER VI. Order’ Spathiflorae. Spathe-bearing plants. Family Araceae.—Arum family. This well known group is rep- resented in the United States by a number of common plants, but its greatest development is in the tropies, both of the old and yew world. The family contains about 105 genera and 900 species; the vast ma- jority are coarse erect herbs, although some of the tropical forms are clinybing fleshy shrubs.» The root is usually either tuberous or cor- ose, * and contains an acrid poisonous principle; it usually abounds, however, in starch, and in certain genera yields an excellent quality of arrowroot when proper precaution is taken to extract the poisonous element. The leaves are basal, long-petioled, simple or compound, often of large size. The flowers are usually monoecious or dioecious, at most with mere traces of perianth, and are densely crowded on a fleshy axis or spike known technically as a spvd/r, Often the staminate flowers oc- cupy the upper and more elongated portion of the spadix, while the pistillate flowers are crowded in a globose mass below. This is well seen in the common cultivated calla lily. Overarching or completely enveloping the spadix is a large leaf-like bract known as a spathe, which is characteristic of this order of plants. In the skunk cabbage the spathe is dark purple and green, and forms an enwrapping hood or cowl. In the jack-in-the-pulpit the upper portion droops like a grace- ful canopy over the projecting spadix, while the lower portion is united eA corm is a fleshy, underground stem, resembling a bulb, but solid in struct- ure, i. e., not composed of scales. The Jack-in-the-pulpit affords a good illustration in the family under discussion. ‘ 38 FAMILIES OF FLOWERING PLANTS. into a cup-shaped cover for the rapidly developing green berries which later turn a brilliant scarlet. The golden-club (Orontium aquaticum) dispenses with the spathe as soon as its bright yellow flowers open, the former remaining only as a withered bract at the base. Fic, 33.—The jack-in-the-pulpit (Arisama triphyllum) showing hooded spathes. (From Macmillan’s ‘‘Minnesota Plant Life,” by courtesy of the author.) In addition to the native aroids mentioned above there are numer- ous handsome tropical exotics which commonly grace our greenhouses. FAMILIES OF FLOWERING PLANTS. 39 Caladium is a genus in which the leaves are highly ornamental, being variegated in shades of pink, purple and green. Florists sell under this name the common lawn plant called ‘Elephant’s-ear,’’ which really belongs to the entirely different genus Colocasia, and is highly important in the tropics. It is there called taro, and is everywhere cultivated for the arrowroot yielded by its enormous roots. Another peculiar confusion of names is to be seen in the case of the calla of _ cultivation, which belongs to the genus Avoides. The genus Calla, containing a single species, (. palustris, is a small bog herb of the Fig. 34.—The floating arum (Pistia spathulata), one-half natural size. Original. northern United States, often called water arum, and bearing only a superficial resemblance to the more pretentious plant of our window gardens. Other ornamental genera of cultivation are Anthurium, Pothos, and Monstera. Reference should be made to the peculiar Pistia, a succulent free floating plant very different from an ordinary arum, found in the streams of Florida and most tropical regions. (See Fig. 84.) Family Lemnaceae. Duckweed Family. This group is of .un- usual interest, as containing the smallest known flowering plants. 40 FAMILIES OF FLOWERING PLANTS. They are supposed to be degenerate Aroids, and consist merely of a little disc-shaped, free-floating body, rarely exceeding one-third of an inch in diameter, and bear- ing on the under surface a single stamen or pistil and several minute root- lets. There are but three genera and only 25 species: known throughout the world. In our stagnant pools and ditches Spzro- dela polyrhiza, the large duckweed, is often abund- ant, covering the surface with a carpet of green. In another genus, Wolfia, we find the plant body re- duced to a little grain scarcely larger than a pin’s head. There is a strong contrast in size, it will be seen, between the Fic. 35.—The large duckweed (Spirodela polyrhyza), duckweed and the giant natural size. Original. Sequoia of the Californian forest! GC Q) K& © OK CHAPTER VIII. Order Farinosae. Passing over the comparatively unimportant families Flagellaria- ceae, Restionaceae, and Centrolepidaceae, we come to the Family Mayacaceae. Mayaca family. This is represented by a single genus, M/ayaca, with seven species, one of which, J/. Avd/et’, reaches the southern United States. It is a delicate little creeping hog plant, with a habit strongly suggestive of a moss, bearing slender peduncled star-shaped flowers with a perianth composed of three sepals and three white or pink petals. (See Fig. 36.) Family Xyridaceae. Yellow-eyed Grass family. Two genera, Ayris and Aboltoda, comprising about 60 species, The plants are FAMILIES OF FLOWERING PLANTS. 41 tufted herbs with slender, grass-like stems, terminated by a dense spike composed of brownish scales or bracts, from the axils of which appear a few small, evanescent, bright yellow flow- ers. The structure of the sepals and pistal is most beauti- ful, but very complicated, and it can be studied advantageous- ly only by a botanist. The stems are frequently twisted like a corkscrew, whence one of the species is called XYyris torta. Fsc. 86.—Mayaca (Mayaca Michaueii) showing The genus is scarcely repre- pee natural size, and enlarged flower. sented in the northern states, but numerous species are scat- tered over the southern pine barrens. Family Eriocaulonaceae. Pipewort Family. Six genera and about 350 species, widely distributed in tropical regions, and particu- larly abundant in South America. Three genera reach the Southern United States, and one species of Hiiocaulon extends even to New- foundland. The plants grow in bogs or shallow water, and farther South usually in moist pine barrens; they are scapose, with basal grass-like leaves, and long-peduncled globose heads of very small white or greenish flowers. The perianth is in two series, forming a distinct calyx and corolla, as may be seen in the enlarged flower in Figure 38. The family possesses no economic and little ornamental value. . Family Rapateaceae. Rapatea Family. A single genus, Papatea, with about 20 South American species. They are rush-like. herbs, and were formerly classed with the true rushes (Juncaceae) but differ materially in certain structural characters. Family Bromeliaceae. Pineapple Family. Everyone who has visited the southern states has noticed and admired the graceful. south- ern moss, long moss or gray moss, as it is variously called. In Florida, too, a pineapple plantation is not an uncommon sight; and yet who would connect these two plants in any way if they had not chanced to observe the similarity of floral structure? There is much more diversity of habit among the Bromeliaceae 42 than in the other families belonging to the same order. either epiphytes, that is, grow- ing attached to other plants, or terrestrial; the examples just cited, of the long moss and the pineapple, illustrate. both classes, In this connection the distinction between an epiphyte and a parasite should be care- fully noted. An epiphyte at- taches itself to another plant, usually a tree or shrub, but de- rives no nourishment from the tissues of its host. Such plants can be successfully grown in greenhouses upon pieces of wood, as is the case Fic. 38.—Pipewort (Hriocaulon septau- gulare). Showing enlarged flower and whole plant, natural size. Original. in dense spikes or panicles. FAMILIES OF FLOWERING PLANTS. They are a De r Fic. 37.—Yellow-eyed grass (Kyris torta). Showing portion of plant and enlarged flower. Original. with many of our showiest orchids. A parasite, on the other hand, de- rives its sustenance either wholly or in part from the host to which it is attached. The Bromeliaceae contain about 35 genera and 900 species, entirely of tropical or subtropical distribu- tion. They have fleshy, often scurfy leaves, and flowers for the most part The calyx and corolla are distinct, often FAMILIES OF FLOWERING PLANTS. 43 of showy colors, and the inflorescence is rendered more conspicuous by the large and often brilliant floral bracts. Téllandsia is by far the largest genus, and the only one represented in the United States, al- though the long moss ( 77l/andsia usneoides) is sometimes considered, and with good reason, the type of a distinct genus. All the Tilland- sias are epiphytic. Besides the pineapple (Ananas Ananas) which is important as an article of diet, this family supplies several important fibre plants. Travellers to Porto Rico will probably observe the pinguin (Bromelia Pinguin) which is commonly used as a hedge plant, and yields a juice ‘locally employed in medicine. Many other genera are in greenhouse cultivation as ornamental foliage plants. . Fig. 39.—Spanish moss (Tillandsia usneoides) growing on live oak at Tampa, Florida. After photograph by Mr. G. N. Collins. SUPPLEMENT. THE FAMILIES OF FLOWERING PLANTS. By Cuaries Louis PoLiarp. ° CHAPTER VIII. ( Continued.) Family Commelinaceae. Spiderwort Family. This group is al- most wholly of tropical distribution; it contains 25 genera and about 350 species, Commelina and Tradescantia being the only two. genera that reach the United States. The plants are herbs, frequently with long linear leaves, and with clustered flowers that open only in the sunshine and quickly wither when gathered. The flowers are sub- tended by leafy spathes, thus showing relationship to the Aroids; but unlike that family they have a conspicuous perianth consisting of both calyx and corolla. The stamens are often wooly with handsomely colored hairs, while the prevailing hue of the corolla is purple or blue. In Commelina one of the three petals is much smaller than the other two, and it is said that the author of the genus intended thus to com- niemorate the three brothers Commelin, two of whom were botanists, while the third had no interest in the science. Family Pontederiaceae. Pickerel-weed Family. Every fisher- man knows the pickerel-weed (Pontederia), which, with its wand-like spikes of blue flowers and handsome emersed cordate leaves, affords shelter for many a fine fish. The family is not a large one, containing only 5 genera and about 25 species, natives of America, Asia and Africa. In general the plants may be known by their flowers, which have a six-parted perianth, all its divisions being alike and not differen- tiated into calyx and corolla. The Water Hyacinth (Piaropus crassi- pes) an ornamental exotic which had proven a troublesome weed in some rivers of Florida, is also a mem ber of this family.* *See the article by Mr. A. H. Curtiss on the Makes Hyacinth in a recent issue of Toe Piant Wor.p. 46 FAMILIES OF FLOWERING PLANTS. The Family Philydraceae is a small group consisting of a single genus and four species, natives of the Indian archipelago. Fie. 40.—Spiderwort, Tradescantia brevicaulis. CHAPTER IX. Order Liliiflorae. This large and comprehensive group may be distinguished in the main by having flowers with the six. divisions of the perianth nearly uniform in color and texture. It contains eight families, some of them being among the largest of monoctyledonous groups, FAMILIES OF FLOWERING PLANTS. 47 Family Juncaceae. Rush Family. The rushes are limited to 7 genera, but contain over 200 species, a large part-of which belong to Juncus. They are of very wide dis- tribution and very varied habitat, al- though a majority, perhaps, may be said to prefer wet or moist ground. The plants may always be distinguished from the grasses and sedges, to which they bear a close external resemblance, by the distinct perianth, which is, how- ever, dry and chaffy in texture. The ovary is also three-celled instead of one-celled, as in those families. Rushes have little or no economic value, even for forage purposes; but in- Holland the stems of various rushes are extensively used as winter coverings for newly- planted tulip and hyacinth beds. Family Stemonaceae. Stemona : Family. This is a small group, con- _, 16. 4-—Dooryard rush, Juncus eEnUurs. taining one or two tropical genera and a single monotypic genus, Crooméa in the Southern United States. More interest attaches to this plant from its extreme varity than from its appearance or structure; it is a low herb with a whorl of roundish or oblong leaves at the summit of the stems, and a few small greenish flowers. The plant has been found only in two or three localities in Florida and Alabama. Family Melanthaceae. Bunch flower Family. This and the fol- lowing three families are frequently united with the Liliaceae into one large group, but the differences of habit and floral structure are en- ’ tirely sufficient to warrant their separation. The Melanthaceae con- tain about 86 genera and 140 species, of very widespread distribution. They have usually thick tuberous roots or rootstocks, and spicate or racemose flowers, the perianth of which is often persistent, adhering to the capsule. They are all herbs, usually scapose in habit. In our country the majority occur in the South, where the pine-barren bogs form their favorite haunts. Probably the most familiar examples of this family are the wild hillebore (Veratrum) and the bellwort (Uvularia} the latter, unlike its relatives, having, solitary, nodding, 48 FAMILIES OF FLOWERING PLANTS. yellow flowers. In our gardens the fall crocus (Colchicum) is well known for its peculiar habit of blooming without leaves in the fall. The bog asphodel (Adama Americana) is a not uncommon plant in the New Jersey pine barrens. Fic. 42.—Croomia. Family Liliaceae. Lily Family. This group contains considera- bly over 100 genera and about 1300 species. The plants are chiefly herbs, growing from bulbs or corms, with leaves varying greatly in size and shape. The flowers are distinguished by having a conspicuous colored perianth, the divisions of which are either quite free from each other, as in the lily or tulip, or united below into a tube, as in hyacinth. The ovary is almost invariably free, that is, not coherent FAMILIES OF FLOWERING PLANTS. 49 with any part of the floral envelope; and it becomes in fruit a few- seeded or a many-seeded capsule. Of course there occur exceptions to these general characters, as in other large families; thus the star- Fic. 43.—Bellflower, Uvularia sessilifolia. grass (Aletrzs) has the perianth -partly adnate to the ovary, while in some species of Yucca the fruit is not capsular, but fleshy and berry- like. Again, although the vast preponderance of genera consist of herbaceous plants, some of them are trees of quite imposing height. 50 FAMILIES OF FLOWERING PLANTS. The Lily family is noteworthy as containing a large proportion not only of our most beautiful wild flowers, but also of the various ex- otics which we cultivate for early. blooming. Thus the little squill (Scilla) hangs out its blue bells with the first soft breaths of spring, and is followed in quick succession by the showy Tulips and Hyacinths, the Fritillarias and the stately Crown-imperial (mperzalis). In the woods at about the same season blossoms that exquisite flower which has so long staggered under the unmeaning and inaccurate name of ‘‘Dog’s-tooth Violet,’ as if anything in the floral world could be more remote in ap- pearance as well as structure than the lily and the true violet. The plant is some- _ times, but not often, called by the quite appropriate term ‘‘Adder’s Tongue,’’ but it might be still better called what it is, namely, an Ery- thronium. The Lilies of the field and garden (Lilium), the old-fashioned Day-lilies (Hemerocallis) and the tall Yuccas are too well-known 'to need more than a passing comment. I presume that Frc. 44.—Various species of Lilium: L. canadense; ane roe however, would L. pardalinum; L. philadelphicum; L. superbum, scarcely be admitted as a true ‘ Liliaceous plant except by botanists. Nevertheless it belongs there, and the small flowers, when examined under a lens, are really quite lily-like in appearance. The bulbs of many of the lilyworts, as they were called by Lind- ley, are mucilazinous and contain medicinal properties. The well known drug syrup of squills is obtained from the South European Scilla maritima. The onion and its varieties, botanically known as species 6f Alliwm, is one of our most. familiar garden vegetables. Aloes are obtained from Aloe, a genus extensively distributed in Africa; ‘while the original ‘‘dragon’s-blood,’? a drug now obtained from numerous plants, was derived from Dracena Draco. FAMILIES OF FLOWERING PLANTS. 51 Family Convallariaceae. Lily-of-the-Valley Family. The genera of this group are 23, the species about 215, of wide distribution. These too are all herbs, and they grow without exception from root- stocks instead of bulbs. The leaves are usually broad and veiny; the perianth is variously shaped and colored. The chief distinctiue char- acter is found in the fruit, which is a fleshy berry. A good example of this fruit may be seen on the Solomon’s seal (Polygonatum) in mid- summer. That important succulent vegetable known as Asparagus “belongs to this family, and oddly enough the little Smilax with which we decorate our tables and bouquets is also a member of the genus Asparagus. In all the species of this genus the true leaves are re- duced to little scales, and the leaf-like organs which we perceive in the Smilax are called phyllodia. Thus they are functionally leaves, but structurally branchlets. The Lily-of-the-valley (Convallaria) and the Clintonia, both of which grow wild in the southern Alleghenies, are two exceedingly ornamental members of this family. SUPPLEMENT. THE FAMILIES OF FLOWERING PLANTS. By Cuartes Lours Potiarp. CHAPTER IX. Continued. Family Smilaceae. Smilax Family. No one who has travelled in the Middle and Southern Atlantic states can have failed to observe Fic. 45.—The carrion-flower, Smilax herbacea. Originai. that pest of the Ledgerows and woods, the common greenbrier or eat brier (Smilax rotund/folia). This plant is the representative of a 54 FAMILIES OF FLOWERING PLANTS. family consisting of three genera and over 200 species, most abundant in tropical regions. ,It is well to explain here that the delicate little trailing plant so widely cultivated for its foliage and sold by florists under the name Smilax, is not a Smilax at all, but belongs to the genus Asparagus, of the lily family. The true Smilaxes are vines, with woody or herbaceous, often prickly stems. They have broad leaves which are an exception to the usual order of things in Mono- cotyledonous plants in that they are netted-veined, with several par- Fic. 46,--The wild false hemp (Agave sisalana) showing habit of growth. After photograph by Mr. G. N. Collins at Sugar Loaf Key, Florida. allel primary nerves. ‘The petiole bears tendrils to enable the plant to climb. The flowers are small and greenish, in axillary umbels,* and are strictly dioecious. They have a regular perianth consissing of six segments, and are succeeded by globose berries. Smilaw herbacea, (see Fig. 45) another common species of the eastern United States, is known as the carrion flower from the disgusting odor which it exhales when in bloom. The roots of several tropical species yield the drug known as sarsaparilla, while the same portions of other species are used in China for food. *An umbel is a Hower-cluster in which the pedicels or flower stalks all proceed from the same point, as in the carrot and related plants. FAMILIES OF FLOWERING PLANTS. 55 Family Haemodoraceae. Bloodwort Family. A small group consisting of 9 genera and 35 species, all tropical except the redroot, Gyrotheca capitata, a plant of the southern pine barrens. They are erect herbs with roots yielding a red juice, and small clustered flowers, the perianth 6-parted. The fruit is capsular. These plants possess interest only for the botanist, and aside from the coloring matter sometimes derived from their roots, they have no economic or orna- mental value. Family Amayllidaceae, Amaryllis Family. A large group of mostly herbaceous and usually extremely showy-flowering plants, many representative genera of which are well known in garden cul- tivation. There are about 70 genera and 800 species, widely dis- tributed in warm regions. The plants are, as stated, usually herba- ceous, but Agave and related genera have woody or even arborescent trunks. The flowers are nearly regular, the perianth divisions similar and colored alike; the stamens are 6; the ovary is 3-celled, and either wholly or partly inferior. The root is often bulbous. Only about half a dozen gencra occur in the United States, and these are repre- sented by very few species; among them is the little yellow star grass (Hypoxis) and the beautiful Atamasco lily (Atwmosco) of Virginia and southward. Among familiar garden Amaryllids is Narcissus, with innumerable horticul- tural varieties; the snow- drop (Galanthus nivalis) the snuwflake (Leucojum ver- num) and various species of Hippeastrum, Sprekelia, Vallota, Awaryllis and At- amosco, all of which are sold under the composite name of Amaryllis. The well- known century plant illus- trates the genus Agave, which is very abundantly Fig, 47.-Young century plants (Agave sisalana) developing on the flowering stalk of the parent. Af- represented throughout Mex- ter Dodge, Rept. No. 9, U. S. Dept. of Agric. ico, It is not, of course, 56 FAMILIES OF FLOWERING PLANTS. true that these plants attain an age of one hundred years before pro- ducing flowers, but the development is slow, and after the plant has actually blossomed and fruited it dies outright. Figure 46 shows a species of Agave that grows wild on the keys of South Florida (A. Sisalana). Its tall, candelabra-like masses of flowers are easily dis- cernible some distance away. The fresh leaves are used by many of the residents of the Keys in lieu of razor strops, and are con- sidered superior to the manufactured article. Figure 47 illustrates the proliferous flower-stalks of the same species. In Mexico the : ee : ae Ei a . . Bt Fic. 48.—Southern Spider Lily (Hymenocallis Caribaea), After photograph by Mr. G.N. Collins, Upper Matecumbe Key, Florida. agave is one of the most important economic plants. Its fermented juice, yields the native driuk pulque, while the same product. distilled yields mescal. A most valuable fiber is extracted from the leaves, and the fresh juice is employed in the manufacture of soap. Mention should be made of the peculiar appendage to the perianth, known as the crown, which is found in the flowers of Varcéssus and related genera. This may be seen in the accompanying illustration (Fig. 48) of the Southern Spider Lily, a species of Hymenocallis. growing wild on the Florida Keys, FAMILIES OF FLOWERING PLANTS. 57 Family Taccaceae. Tacca Family. The type and only important genus of this small family furnishes the pia plant, (Zacca pinuatifida) an herb extensively cultivated throughout the East Indies and Poly- nesia as a source of arrowroot. The plauts of the family are all tropical herbs, with thick roots and basal leaves, the flowers usually small, and borne in umbellate clusters. Fic. 49.—The wild yam, Dioscorea villosa, showing flowers and fruit. Original, Family Dioscoreaceae. Yam family. Contains about 9 genera and nearly 200 species, chiefly natives of tropical America. They are herbaceous or woody twining vines, the leaves mostly alternate and netted-veined, the flowers dioecious or monoecious, small and incon- spicuous, in axillary clusters. The fruit in Dioscorea, the type genus 58 FAMILIES OF FLOWERING PLANTS. is a 3 angled capsule, shown in the accompanying illustration. of our common wild yam (See Fig. 49). In other genera, as Tamus, the fruit is a berry.. ‘ The large fleshy rootstocks of some tropical species fhrnish the yams of commerce. Many have the peculiar habit of producing fleshy tubers, often called ‘air potatoes’’ in the axils of their upper leaves; these tubers sometimes attain considerable size. Fic. 50.—Dwarf crested iris (Zris cristata). Original. Family Iridaceae. Iris Family. A group of considerable size, containing about 60 genera and over 1000 species, widely distributed over the warmer parts of the globe. ‘They shun the cold and in our temperate climate we have besides /ris itself only three small genera. On the other hand a great number of genera and species flourish in South Africa, and many of them are endemic there. This results in the common use among horticulturists of the term ‘‘Cape bulbs’’ to designate such plants as Jwta, Spararis and Freesia, all well known. as pot, bulbs. FAMILIES OF FLOWERING PLANTS. 59 The Iridaceae differ principally from their relatives, the Ama- ryllidaceae, in having the inner circle of stamens wanting; the flowers are frequently irregular, and the leaves are usually what is called equitant, that is, one leaf is folded over its successor and bestrides it, after the fashion of a man on horseback. The typical genus, Jris, is illustrated in figure 50. The irises are much esteemed in cultivation on account of the beauty and variety of their flowers. Orris root, the basis of various different sachet perfumes, is the product of several Mediterranean species of this genus. A very different type of flower from the iris is seen in the Crocus, certain species of which are familiar to us in the garden in early spring time. In the Crocoideae the root is a corm, and the leaves are linear and not equitant. The stigmas of Crocus sativus yield the well-known coloring matter, saffron. Another example of a familiar ornamental genus is Gladiolus, the garden forms of which, after years of careful selection and hybridization, are almost innumerable. , Wes. Se SUPPLEMENT. THE FAMILIES OF FLOWERING PLANTS. By Cuartes Louis Pouiarp. he a CHAPTER X. 4 Order Scitamineae. r 3 We now reach a group occupying a much higher plane in the Fig. 51.-The denen ie Musa Sapientum. (Af- ter Dodge, Rept. No. 9, U. S. Dept. of Agric.) scale of development than any members of the Liliflorae. The . perianth is often most irregular in shape, and the parts show a closer union; often there is a peculiar development of all but one stamen into petaloid bodies known as staminodia. The Scitamineae are herbs, though often arborescent in appearance, like the banana; they have usu- ally tuberous rootstocks and Jarge pinnately-veined leaves. Family Musaceae. Ba- nana Family. (See Fig. 51.) _, A family containing four gen- i era, and about 70 species, dis- tinguished by -having flowers with five-stamens. The genus Musa besides containing the . t . i » > ‘various edible species of banana and plantain, includes one or two, as the African I. Hnscte, which are cultivated as orna- 62 FAMILIES OF FLOWERING PLANTS. mental foliagé plants. Strelitzia, another genus of this family, is known as the Bird-of-Paradise plant, from the peculiar coloring of its flowers and floral bracts. Family Zingiberaceae. Ginger Family. About 40 genera and Fia. 52.—Branch, flower and rootstock of West Indian arrowroot (Mar- ania arundinacea). Original. 450 species, all tropical, and particularly numerous in the forests of southern Asia. The flowers contain but one fertile stamen; the other two are united into a petaloid and often highly colored leaf, the lip or labellum. The fruit is usually a three-valved capsule. Several species FAMILIES OF FLOWERING PLANTS. 63 are of economic value. Zingiber officinale, of the East Indies, furn- ishes ginger; the roots of several species of Curcuma and Alpinia yield well-known drugs; and the seeds of ileltaria Cardamomum, cardamon. Many species are cultivated as ornamental hot house exotics. Family Cannaceae. Canna Family. Contains a single genus, Canna, with about 30 species and innumerable garden varieties. The flowers in Canna are very asymmetrical; there is a single fertile stamen, with a petaloid appendage, and what appear to be four showy perianth divisions, being external, narrow and inconspicuous. The Canna is one of our best known and most popular of garden plants, the wonderful improvements made by M. Crozy and other French horticulturists in the size and coloration of the flower having brought it to the front rank of garden favorites. Family Marantaceae. Arrowroot Family. Twelve genera and about 160 species, all tropical and mostly South American. They are distinguished from the related families of this order by the stalked leaves, which have a joint-like swelling just below the blade; by the inconspicuous flowers, and by the four seeded capsule. The structure. of the flower is similar to that in Canna, except in the form of the in- ner staminodia. Many species are cultivated for their handsome brightly colored foliage. The rootstock of Maranta arwndinacea (See Fig. 52) yields arrowroot. CHAPTER XI. Order Microspermae. This order, embracing the most highly differentiated types of the Monocotyledons, is characterized by the extreme irregularity of floral structure, and more complex union of parts. The name is derived from the multitude of minute seeds that are produced, only. a small portion of which succeed in germinating. Family Burmanniaceae. Burmannia Family. These interesting little plants are distributed in about ten genera and 60 species. They are tropical, with the exception of Burmannia and Apteria, which reach the southern borders of the Gulf States. The plants are small, delicate herbs, with slender, wiry stems bearing scales in place of leaves and one or more small blue or white flowers at the summit. The perianth is united into a single piece, and its tube is united with 64 FAMILIES OF FLOWERING PLANTS. that of the ovary, or, as it is more generally expressed, the ovary is inferior. ‘The stamens are three or six, and the style is either simple or 8-cleft. In the South they may be found in rich woods, growing {in moist decaying vegetable mat- ter, Owing to the absence of leaves it was for a long time sup- posed that these plants were root- parasites like the broom-rapes. Figure 53 shows Burmannia bi- flora and Apteria sctacea of natur- al size; the former is distinguished by having flowers with the peri- -anth conspicuously wing-mar- gined. rf, Family Orchidaceae. Orchid Q z Family. This large and most at- Fic. 58a, Burmannia biflora. b. Apteria tractive group includes the most » Setacea. Plants natural size. Original. highly specialized of the monoco- tyledonous plants. The carefully conducted researches of Darwin and other scientists have demonstrated that the marvelous complexity of floral structure exhibited by the. orchids is the result of special adap- tation or modification to secure fer- tilization through insect agency, and often through the visits of some par- ticular species of insect. - Orchids are perennial herbs, with great diversity of habit. It may be stated as a general rule that those growing in temperate climates are terrestrial like most other plants, while those that are natives of warm or tropical regions are epiphytic, like the Bromeliads which were dis- . cussed in a recent chapter (see sup- plement, page 41). The roots of ter- restrial species are usually thickened and tuberous, sometimes even bul- showing parts of flower. (After Britton and Brown, Ill. Fl. Northeastern U.S. FAMILIES OF FLOWERING PLANTS. 65 bous, while those of the epiphytes are fibrous and wiry, enabling them to become firmly attached to the support. The leaves are sheath- ing at base, often fleshy, occasionally reduced. to scales. The flowers are very generally conspicuous and handsomely colored; even when small and of dull hues their beauty of form attracts attention. In order to discuss floral structure in the orchids it will be neces- sary to explain a number of ternis which are in use to indicate special modifications of the perianth, stamens and pistil. The perianth con- t Fic. 55.—The yellow lady's slipper (Cypripedium hirsutum) a _ native orchid. (From Macmillan’s Mignesota Plant Life, by courtesy of the author), i sists of six parts or segments in two series of three each: the outer series or sepals are usually similar or nearly so in shape and coloration. The two lateral segments of the inner series, or petals, are also alike; but the third inner one, known as the Jp, is widely dissimilar in shape and is often the most conspicnous part of the flower. The one or two stamens and style are entirely consolidated into a body known as the column; this bears one or two 2-celled anthers, the pollen of which is not of the ordinary sort, but is united by elastic threads into several stalked waxy masses called pollinia, attached at the base by a viscid ; LN 2 Wiis? hea From “ Recreations In Botany.??—Copyright, 1893, by Harper & Brothers Fic. 56.—A group of native orchids. FAMILIES OF FLOWERING PLANTS. 67 disk or gland. The ovary is inferior, its tube united with that of the perianth, 3-angled, and often twisted, thus altering the natural position of the flower. These features are shown in figure 54. The family contains 410 genera and 5000 species, of wide distri- bution, but most abundant in the tropics. Probably no group of flowering plants yields a larger number of species valuable for green- house cultivation as ornamental plants. Representatives of nearly all the important genera may be found in every large orchid house. The most economic product of the family is vanilla, which is obtained from the fruit of the climber Vanilla planifolia and from several related species. The common putty-root (Aplectrum hyemale) of the eastern United States is said to furnish a valuable cement; while the substance known as sales is derived from the roots of the European species Orchis mascula. The genera which are important as yielding the most beautiful flowers in cultivation are Cypripedium, Cattleya, Laelia, Oncidiwm, Odontoglossum, and Lycaste. With the exception of the first, these are all exotics; but some of our native Cypripediums have flowers of great beauty. Figure 55 shows a cluster of the yel- low ladies’-slipper (C. Azcrsutum). Other native orchids of great beauty are Calypso, of the northern peat-bogs; Zimodorum and Po- gonta, the grass-pinks; various species of /Zabenaria, with pink, pur- ple, orange or white flowers; and the delicate white ladies’ tresses (Gyrostachys). The reader is referred to various popular works for more extended descriptions of our native orchids, as it is impossible to admit extended details into this brief review of the plant families. For a full discussion of the peculiar modes of fertilization no work is more valuable than Darwin’s ‘Fertilization of-Orchids,’’ while several essays on this subject in the works of William Hamilton Gibson will be found most interesting. ? SUPPLEMENT. THE FAMILIES OF FLOWERING PLANTS. By Cuarues Lours PoLuarp. CHAPTER XII. General Characters of the Dicotyledons;. The Orders Verticillatae and Piperales. We have now completed a somewhat hasty review of the families belonging to the class of Monocotyledons. ‘The reader must revert to our discussion of the differences between this group and the Dicotyledons in Chapter III, (pp. 15 and 16) of the Supplement. Dicotyledonous plants vastly outnumber those of the other class, and present such marked types of structure that it is necessary to group the numerous orders of which they are comprised in two sudclasses, the Archichla- mydeae and the Metachlamydeae. These tremendous names have a significance which will be remembered when their etymology is under- stood. Both are derived from the Greek language, Archichlamydeae meaning plants with a primitive floral envelope, and Metachlamydeae those with a waited floral envelope. The co-ordination between these terms becomes more evident when we recollect that union of parts in floral structure indicates, in our modern understanding, a more highly advanced type. Theref re all plants like the morning-glory, the fox- glove or any composite, having a corolla composed of a single piece, are considered higher in the systematic scale than plants like the buttercup, with a corolla of separate petals, or the pigweed, with no corolla at all; hence the latter examples belong to the ‘‘primitive’’ type of floral structure. It therefore follows that the Archichlamydeae embrace, first, all plants having flowers without any corolla (Apetalae), ' and second, all plants having flowers with a corolla of separate petals (Polypetalac). The Metachlamydeae comprise all plants having flowers with a corolla united in a single piece. There are, of course, excep- Fia. 57.—Casuarina equisetifolia, cultivated as a shade tree in Key West. After photograph by Mr. G. N. Collins. FAMILIES OF FLOWERING PLANTS. 71 tions to this general rule. The union of parts other than the corolla is also considered in classification, but everything points toward a com- mon end, and we can readily understand why the Compositae are now regarded as the very highest of the Dicotyledons, occupying a place similar to the orchids among the Monocotyledons. In the Compositae the corolla and calyx are each united. into a tube;: the stamens form also a tube; and lastly, the flowers themselves are aggregated into a head closely resembling a single flower, with a calyx-like cluster of bracts at its base. The orders which we shall discuss in this and the next few suc- ceeding chapters strongly remind one of the earlier orders in the Monocotyledons. They are mostly monoecious or dioecious plants, with no perianth and inconspicuous flowers frequently in dense clus- ters: The order Verticillatae comprises only a single family. Family Casuarinaceae. Casuarina Family. A most remarkable group of trees, the systematic relationship of which has puzzled bota- nists for many years. The pine-like aspect, coupled with certain pecu- liarities in the method by which the ovule is fertilized, indicates a position close to the Gymnosperms, and it has therefore been placed by Engler and Prantl at the beginning of the dicotyledonous series. Yet the plants have still more striking points of similarity in structure to certain cryptogams, the jointed stems immediately suggesting an Equisetum. There is but a single genus, Casuarina, represented in the tropical Indo-Malayan region by about 20 species. C. eqgudseti- jolia is: much used as a shade tree in Key West, Florida, the accom- panying illustration (Fig, 57) giving an excellent idea of its lofty pro- portions and graceful foliage. The fruit is borne in small, woody, pine-like cones. The order Piperales consists chiefly of herbs, with small flowers usually in close spikes; the floral envelope is wholly wanting. There are four families. Family Saururaceae. Lizard’ s-tail Family. Three genera, two of which are North American, the third Asiatic; two of them contain only a single species. The plants are perennial herbs with alternate leaves; the flowers are borne in spikes, and are perfect, with from 6 to 8 stamens and an ovary of several carpels. Saururus, the principal genus, is a familiar object in shaded swamps, its nodding spikes of white flowers suggesting slender tassels (See Fig. 58.) 72 FAMILIES OF FLOWERING PLANTS. Family Piperaceae. Pepper Family. Nine genera and over 1,000 species, chiefly of tropical America; a few species of Peperomia occur in Florida. They are herbs or shrubs with joined stems, opposite or whorled leaves, and small spicate flowers destitute of perianth. The fruit is a sort of fleshy berry. The plants possess: pungent and fh i t HI Fic. 68.—The Lizard’s Tail, Saururus cernuus, showing detached and magnified flower and fruit. Original. aromatic qualities which are familiar to everyone in the form of pep- per, the product of Piper nigrum. This is a vine reaching a height of twenty or more feet; the condiment is obtained from the ripened and: dried fruit. White pepper is made by divesting the fruit of its outer skin before pulverizing. FAMILIES OF FLOWERING PLANTS. 73 Family Chloranthaceae. Chloranthus Family. A small and un- important group, closely allied to the Pepperworts, and consisting of three exclusively tropical genera, embracing about 30 species. They are trees, shrubs, or rarely herbs. Family Lacistemaceae. Lacistema Family. Another small group, with a single genus, Lacistema, including 16 South American species. CHAPTER XIII. Orders Salicales, Juglandales and their Allies. Family Salicaceae. Willow Family. This is the only example of its order, and it consists of two genera, Salix and Populus, with nearly 300 specis. Every one is familiar with the general appearance of the willows and poplars; they are all shrubs and trees, with very diverse foliage, and flowers in aments or ‘“catkins’’ as they are commonly called. The plants are strictly dioe- cious, bearing the staminate and pis- tillate aments on different individ- uals. The seeds are invested with cottony hairs, and are produced in such abundance that on city streets where poplars are cultivated as shade trees the ground looks as if covered with driven snow during the fruiting season. The Salicaceae are natives exclusively of temperate regions, and are particularly abundant in northern. bogs and swamps. The uses of various exotic species of wil- Frc. 59.The Cottonwood or Necklace low for basket work are well-known, Poplar (Populus deltoides). After Britton and the industry is one of large pro- and Brown, Ill. Fl. Northeast U. S. . portions. Probably no other plants afford twigs of such a high degree of flexibility, combined with tough- ness, as the osier willow. The severed branches are very tenacious of life, and will invariably sprout when placed in the ground, even after much exposure. Family Myricaceae. Sweet Gale Family. This is the sole repre- T4 FAMILIES OF FLOWERING PLANTS. sentative of the order Myricales, and its only genera are Myrica, the bayberry, sweet bay or sweet gale, and Comptonia, the sweet fern. Both are shrubs, the foliage delightfully aromatic, the leaves thick and coriaceous. The flowers are dioecious, without perianth, borne in aments, and are succeeded by small bony nut-like fruit, covered with a waxy resinous secretion. These berries, when gathered in quantity, furnish a most excellent wax, from which candles are occasionly manu- factured. The species are not numerous, but have a wide distribution, mostly in temperate regions. (See Fig. 61.) Fic. 60.—The Black Willow: (Salix nigra) showing staminate and pistillate aments. Original. The tropical family Balanopsidaceae represents another mono- typic order and consists of the single genus Balanops. The plants are of little interest save to botanists. , Family Leitneriaceae. Leitneria Family. This family is re- stricted to a single rare tree of the southern United States, Leitneria Floridana, so peculiar in structure that it is made the type of a distinct order, Leitneriales. It occurs, so far as known, only in Florida and Missouri, and is a small tree or shrub with gray bark, FAMILIES OF FLOWERING PLANTS. 75 lanceolate leaves and flowers in aments, the individuals of different sexes. The ovary consists of a single carpel which ripens into a dry stone fruit or drupe, as it is technically called. In habitat the plants are confined to deep swamps. Family Juglandaceae. Walnut Family. This represents another distinct order, and includes six genera, the most important being the walnut and /icoria, the hickory. The walnuts num- ber about 8 species, the hickories 15 or 20. They are natives of temperate re- gions, /iicoria being confined to North America. All are trees, with odd-pinnate leaves, and monoecious flowers, the staminate and pistillateaments being borne on the same branch. The fruit is the well-known nut of commerce. From Juglans we obtain the butternut, the black walnut, and the English walnut, which can be successfully cultivated in certain parts of the United States. Zicoria furnishes the shagbark hickory nut and the pecan. Allthe plants belonging to the foregoing orders are anemophilous, that is, they are fertilized by the agency of the wind, which blows the pollen from the staminate to the pistillate aments. There is therefore no need of a showily-colored perianth to attract insect visitors. Fie..61.—The Bayberry, Myrica Carolinensis. Original. From Coulter's “ Plant Relations.” Copvrizht 1899, by 1, t->1 fas . * Fig, 62.—Flowering branch of a walnut (-7uglans). After Strasburger. SUPPLEMENT. THE FAMILIES OF FLOWERING PLANTS. By Cuaries Louts Poruarp. CHAPTER XIV. Order Fagates. This order is of great importance from the standpoint of economic botany and forestry, containing, as it does, a large number of the most valuable timber trees of the world. It consists of two families, both characterized by the alternate simple leaves with pronounced venation; by the monoecious flowers, born’ in aments as in the willows; and by the fruit, which is a one-séeded nut. The flowers have a calyx, but no corolla, Family Betulaceae. Birch Family. Contains six genera and about 75 species, chiefly of northern distribution. They are distin- guished from the related family Fagaceae by the aments, which are mostly shorter and thicker, and by the absence of a cup-shaped invo- lucre (like that of an acorn) around the fruit. Betula, the birch, is undoubtedly the most important genus of this family. Birch wood is hard and durable, and being susceptible of a high polish, is frequently used in the manufacture of various articles of furniture and in house- building. The bark of the paper birch is well known for its property of peeling off in thin layers, and it is in demand for drawings and paintings. It seems to have reached the acme of utility however in the hands of the Indians, and is so strongly associated with Indian stories and legends that we can scarcely conceive of one of Cooper’s dusky heroes without the accompaniment of his birch bark canoe and his tepee. Figure 63 shows an Indian encampment on the shores of a Minnesota lake; the tepees and canoes are of birch, and there is a birch forest in the background. Betula includes about 35 species, some of which penetrate even to the Arctic circle. Corylus, the hazel, ‘UR TJUIOVW AVMUOD *JoIld Jo Asojrnoo Aq ‘seIpnys [eolUeIOg BIOSOUUIW! MOI “YAIvq To1Iq oy) JO opCUl SaSN SNoliva oY ZOIMOYS ‘AoemMduIvOUS UeIpaAT ue WIM (nuafiuhdnd njnjagq) WIIG 9ouwd Jo yse10J Y—"E9 “OL FAMILIES OF FLOWERING PLANTS. 79 is a genus of shrubs, the edible nut of which is familiar to - ‘every school boy. Carpinus, the American hornbeam or blue beech is a handsome tree with extremely hard wood; it has a close relative in Fic. 64.—The Black Birch (Betula lenta) showing ripened fertile aments and the spring- produced staminate aments. Original. Ostrya, the hop hornbeam, which may be distinguished by the hop- like fertile aments. Alnus, the alder, is a characteristic swamp shrub and it is the first to expand its tassel-like staminate catkins in early spring. 80 FAMILIES OF FLOWERING PLANTS. Family Fagaceae. Beech Family. Contains 5 genera and about 875 species, of very wide geographic distribution. The involucral bracts around the pistillate flower in this family, ripen into a ‘bur’ or cup, well seen in the oak and chestnut. The largest and most im- Fic. 65.—A Native Californian Oak (Quercus densifiora), showing fruit. Original. portant genus is Quercus, the oak, which is represented by numerous species in North America, the mountains of Mexico and South Ameri- ca, and in Asia, southern Europe and Africa. Oak is probably used for a greater variety of purposes than any other wood; it is hard and very durable, and different species exhibit considerable diversity in FAMILIES OF FLOWERING PLANTS. 81 grain and color. Next in importance to the wood of the oak is its bark, which is very rich in tannin, and hence is employed in the manu- facture of dye-stuffs and in tanning. The bark of Quercus Suber, a native of southern Europe, furnishes the cork of commerce. Acorns, as the fruits of the oak are commonly called, are sometimes eaten as food; they afford by their shape and size the surest method of dis- criminating between species that otherwise closely resemble each other. Fagus, the beech, is another timber tree of great beauty, and often forms extensive tracts of forest in our Eastern states and in Europe. Like Castanea, the chestnut, it is a small genus, comprising only four or five species. The chestnut is undoubtedly the most highly esteemed of our native nuts, being equally palatable to the squirrel and the small boy. It will be noticed that in both Betulaceae and Fagaceae the flowers are adapted for wind rather than insect fertilization. This is true to a large extent in the families belonging to the following order. CHAPTER XV. Orders Urticales and Proteales. The Urticales have the'flowers variously clustered, or rarely even solitary, but not borne in ,aments as in the Fagales. The fruit is an achene,* a drupe or stone-fruit, or a berry, never a nut. The order consists of three families—UI]ma- ceae, Moraceae and Urticaceae. The order Proteales, which is con- fined to the southern hemisphere, is restricted to the single. family Proteaceae. Family Ulmaceae. Elm Fami- ly. Contains about 13 genera and 140 species, of wide distribution in ° both temperate and tropical re- Fig. 66.—The American elm (Ulmus Ameri- cana) showing flowers and fruit. After Britton gions. Ti linis,” the’ elm, is noted and Brown, Ill. Fl. Northeast U. S. ; *Achene is a name given to a small dry one-seeded fruit that does not split open (indehiscent) when ripe, 82 FAMILIES OF FLOWERING PLANTS. more for its beauty as a shade tree than for its value as lumber; the mucilaginous inner bark of the slippery elm (U/mus fulva) is a well- known officinal product. All the Ulmaceae are trees or shrubs, with Fia. 67.—A tropical species of Fig (icus arbutifolia) shading a house in Porto Rico. After photograph by Mr. G. N. Collins, : small clustered monoecious or dioecious flowers having a perianth of several distinct or united sepals. The fruit is variable, being in Ulmus FAMILIES OF FLOWERING PLANTS. 83 dry and winged (called a samara) and in other genera, either a drupe (stone-fruit) or nut. . Family Moraceae. Mulberry Family. Contains about 55 genera and nearly 1000 species, natives largely of tropical regions. 600 species belong to the single genus Ficus, the fig, which is of immense economic importance, as it is the chief source of caoutchouec and furnishes us also with deli- cious fruits. Strictly speak- ing, the part which is eaten is not the fruit, but the pulpy receptacle, in which are em- bedded: the numerous small dry achenes commonly known as seeds. A similar condition exists in Morus, the mul- berry; the claims of , this tree to economic considera- tion lie chiefly in the fact that it is the best food for silkworms. The Moraceae are distinguished from the preceding family by the structure of their fruit, and by the presence of a milky sap. Among the genera of interest may be mentioned Artocarpus, the breadfruit, which is an important item in the dietary of the natives where it grows; Brosimum, the ‘‘cow-tree’’ of Venezuela, the sap of which furnishes a pleasant drink; Humulus, the. common hop; Broussonetia, the paper mulberry, an ornamental tree which has become naturalized in the eastern United States; and Cannabis, the hemp. Family Urticaceae. Nettle Family. Contains about 40 genera and nearly 500 species, very widely distributed. The majority are herbs, many of them provided with painfully stinging hairs. The sap is watery, and not of milky consistency, while the fruit is an achene. Fic. 68.—The Hemp Plant, Cannabis sativa. After Dodge, Rept. No. 9, U. S. Dept. of Agric. 84 FAMILIES OF FLOWERING; PLANTS. The two preceding families were formerly united with the true nettles in a single family, but under the modern conception of natural affinities are considered as distinct groups. Some of the plants in this family have strong bast fiber which may be utilized like hemp, but aside from this they are of no economic value, and many are troublesome weeds. Familiar examples of the latter are the various true nettles ((/rtica); the wood nettle ( Urticas- trum), and the richweed or clearweed (.1dicea). Has of Wiis 7 tS ag “BLUR dale, Fic. 69.—The Stinging Nettle ( Urtica urens). Original. SUPPLEMENT. THE FAMILIES OF FLOWERING PLANTS. By Cuaries Louis Pouiarp. CHAPTER XV.— Continued. Family Proteaceae. Protead Family. A very large family, com-. prising about 50 genera and nearly 1000 species, many of which are Fic. 70.—Flower-head of an Australian species of Banksia, a genus belonging to the Proteaceae; one-half natural size. Original. - 86 FAMILIES OF FLOWERING PLANTS. peculiar to Australia and South Africa. They are trees or shrubs with a most remarkable diversity of habit and inflorescence. The perianth is 4-parted, consisting only of calyx; the stamens are also four, placed opposite the divisions of the perianth; and the ovary is superior and one-celled. The plants have no medicinal properties, but are cultivated for their peculiar flowers, which are frequently borne in dense cone-like clusters, and are often beautifully colored. (See Fig. 70.) CHAPTER XVI. Order Santalales. The Santalales are a group of plants with very -varied habit. They are herbs, shrubs or trees, largely tropical, but represented by several genera and species in temperate climates. Many of the plants are parasitic on the wood of trees to which they are attached; others are terrestrial, but derive their sustenance from the roots of other plants. In general the Santalales are distinguished by the more or less inferior ovary, the calyx being partially or wholly united with it. The ovary contains a single cell. Family Loranthaceae. Mistletoe Family. Contains about 21 genera and 500 species of wide geographical distribution, but most abundant in the tropics. They are parasitic herbs or shrubs, green or yellowish-green in color, as they contain chlorophyll and elaborate in their own tissues the food materials extracted from the host plant through specialized roots known as haustoria. The leaves and stems are fleshy or waxy in texture and the flowers are inconspicuous, having usually only a ealyx but in some cases both calyx and corolla. The calyx is more or less adherent to the ovary, which becomes a one-seeded berry in fruit. The stamens are 2 to 6 in number. The American mistletoe (Phoradendron flavescens) is the most familiar native representative of the family. There are other species of Phoradendron occurring in the far West, and the related genus Feazoumofskya is found in the same region. In tropical countries there are numerous species of Loranthus. The European mistletoe, repre- sented in Figure 71, belongs to a distinct genus, Viscum, and is more } FAMILIES OF FLOWERING PLANTS. 87 highly prized at Yuletide than the American variety, as its berries are much larger, and of a pearly white color. Fie. 71.—The European mistletoe ( Vis- cum album) one-half natural size. Origi- nal, Family Santalaceae. The host-plants of the mistle- toes are quite varied in character. Some species confine themselves to a single variety of shrub or tree; thus one is found on the southwestern juniper (Juniperus pachyphioea). Others, like the common Phoraden- dron, are not at all partial, growing on sour gums, maples or even oaks. This family has no economic use, although a kind of bird lime is sometimes prepared from the berries of European species. _ Family Myzodendraceae. An- other group of parasitic plants close- ly allied to the Loranthaceae, and consisting of about 10 South Amer- ican species. Sandalwood Family. Contains about 26 genera and 250 species, mainly tropical. They are herbs, shrubs or occasionally trees, frequently half-par- asitic on the roots of other plants, but not growing wholly exposed like the Loranthaceae. The flowers, which are variously clustered, have only a calyx; they are monoecious, dioecious or per- fect. The stamens are 8 to 6, inserted opposite the calyx-lobes. The ovary is inferior and one-celled as in the Lor- anthaceae; but it becomes in fruit a drupe (stone-fruit) or nut. In this country we have several familiar herbs of the genus Comandra, and known as bastard toad-flax, which belong to this family. They have ter- ‘ Fig. 72,—The Pale Bastard Toad-flaz (Comandra pallida), one-third natural size. Original, 88 FAMILIES OF FLOWERING PLANTS. minal clusters of small greenish-white flowers and may be found grow- ing in open underbrush. In the southern states three rare shrubs, Darbya, Pyrularia and Buckleya also represent the family. In Europe the genera and species are much more numerous; while in Asia the family becomes important on account of the Sandalwood, derived from various species of Santalum. Family Grubbiaceae. Grubbia Family. A small and insignifi- cant group consisting of the single genus Grubd/a, with 3 South Afri- can species. Family Opiliaceae. Opilia Family. Consists of three or four genera, each with one or two species, confined to the tropics of the Old World. By many botanists it is regarded as a section of the following: Family Olacaceae. Olax Family. A group containing about 20 genera and 115 species, natives exclusively of tropical and subtropical regions. They are trees or shrubs with simple alternate leaves, and perfect flowers provided with both calyx and corolla; the former is united into a single piece (gamosepalous), and the corolla consists of 3 to 6 distinct petals; fertile stamens 3 to 10, with a like number of sterile filaments; ovary several-celled, becoming a one-seeded, fleshy fruit, The genus Ximenia, represented by Fic. 73.—The Florida Wild Plum a single species in Florida, X. Americana, ee sce Serer oe brings this family within the flora of the United States. Figure 73 shows a branch with flowers, in which may be seen the. sterile filaments. The fruit is yellow and so much resembles a plum in appearance that it is locally called by that name. It is edible, being sweetish in taste and slightly astringent in properties. ; Family Balanophoraceae. Balanophora Family. Contains 14 genera and about 30 species, natives of warm or hot climates, They are succulent leafless parasites, entirely destitute of chlorophyll, and consequently not green in ‘color, but of various shades of yellow or FAMILIES OF FLOWERING PLANTS. 89 red. The flowers are subtended by scales or bracts, and are unisexual and monoecious, the staminate and pistillate occurring on the same plant. There is usually a small perianth consisting of a single series (calyx), but even this is sometimes wanting. Some of these plants are much sought on account of their supposed medicinal virtues; this is particularly true of Cynomorium coccineum, a south European plant which on the Island of Malta was formerly carefully guarded, and its growth and gathering supervised by a person specially appointed to that office under the English government. Various species of Bala- nophora furnish a sort of wax which is used by the natives of Java for. making candles. re CHAPTER XVI. Orders Aristolochiales and Polygonales. - The order Aristolochiales includes three families. The group is distinguished by the perianth, which although strictly a calyx, is very Fic. 74.—The Goose-flower (Aristolochia fetens) and leaf; both one-half natural size. Original. often showily colored like a corolla; it is either cup-shaped and regular or tubular and very irregular in shape. The ovary is inferior, and several-celled instead of one-celled as in the Santalales. 90 FAMILIES OF FLOWERING PLANTS. Family Aristolochiaceae. Birthwort Family. Contains 5 genera and about 200 species, of which 180 belong to Aristolochia alone. The family may be known by the tubular calyx, more or less inflated below, and adherent to the ovary at the base. The stamens are six, adherent to the style (colummar portion of the pistil), while the fruit is a many-seeded, 6-celled capsule, The plants are herbs or climbing shrubs, with wood of most remarkable structure and quite distinct from that of all other exogens, consisting of radiating plates of wood not disposed in rings. They are mostly of tropical distribution, being particularly abundant in South America. The flowers of Aristolochia are very diverse in shape and coloring; many species of this genus are ornamental in cultivation, as for example the familiar ‘‘Dutch- man’s pipe.”’ (A. macrophylla) und the tropical species sold as “‘gooseflower’’? (A. fetens) a flower and leaf of which, one- half the natural size, are shown in Figure 74. The genus Asa- rum is well represented in the Eastern United States, A. Can- adense being the wild ginger or asarabacca. The species of Asarum are all stemless herbs ; _ with handsome, often mottled, Fic. 75.—Parasitic flower of Raffesia Arnoldi, é very much reduced. Original. coriaceous leaves, and odd-look- ing flowers borne at the surface of the ground. These plants have very well-known medicinal properties; the roots are highly aromatic, and furnish a stimulant and a specific against snake poison; some species yield purgatives and vermifuges as well. The chief point of interest attaching to the group lies in the unac- countably close affinity to the Monocotyledons, as shown by the six stamens and six-celled capsule, and by the peculiar structure of the wood to which reference has been made above. Family Rafflesiaceae. Rafilesia Family. This truly remarkable family has a world-wide reputation as the best illustration of vegetable parasitism carried to the farthest possible extent. There are 7 genera and about 20 species, all of which are reduced to mere flowers FAMILIES OF FLOWERING PLANTS. 91 which develop from buds parasitic on various trees and shrubs. The stem and leaves are wholly wanting; the whole plant consists of a sin- gle flower, often of gigantic size, which gradually develops, ripens its seed and perishes. By far the most celebrated genus is Rafflesca, con- taining about 6 species, natives of Java, Sumatra, Borneo and the Philippine Islands. They grow exclusively on various species of Cis- sus, a genus allied to our grapes. Figure 75 gives a good idea of the general appearance of the flower, the species being 2. Arnoldi, the original type of the genus. The flowers have a 5-cleft calyx, usually globular or cup-shaped, sometimes saucer-shaped, with numerous stamens borne on a central column. Some species of Fafflesia have flowers of gigantic size, measuring several feet in diameter; the buds resemble huge cabbages. They are usually foul smelling and decay easily. Family Hydnoraceae. Hydnora Family. A group of fungus- like fleshy parasites consisting of two genera and about 8 species, na- tives of South Africa. SUPPLEMENT. THE FAMILIES OF FLOWERING PLANTS. By Caarzes Lovrs Porwarp. CHAPTER XVII. Orders Polygonales and Centrospermae. The order Polygonales comprises the single family Polygonaceae, and its characters are those of the family. The Centrospermae, on the other hand, form a group of considerable size, embracing no less than ten families, of more or less economic or ornamental interest. This order is distinguished from the Polygonales by the variously curved or coiled embryo* in the seed, and by the fruit, which is not an achene. The flowers are mostly perfect, rarely monoecious or dioecious, and the ovary is entirely superior or free from the calyx in both groups. Family Polygonaceae. Buckwheat family. Contains about.30 gen- era and 800 species, of very wide geographic distribution. They are herbs, frequently of twining habit, shrubs or even trees, their most con- spicuous feature being the sheathing united stipules around the bases of the leaves. This sheath is so distinct in appearance from the ordi- nary type of stipule, that it is known by a special name, ocrea. The leaves are simple, mostly entire; the flowers are small and regular, variously clustered, with a perianth consisting of calyx alone, which, however, is frequently colored like a corolla. The stamens are 2 to 9 in number, the ovary 1-celled, becoming in fruit a shining angled or lenticular (prune-shaped) achene. The Polygonaceae are well represented in our country, not only by numerous species of smartweed (Polygonum) and of dock (Rumex), but in the western States by many species of the genus Hriogonum, which may be known by the umbelled or capitate flower-clusters, each group springing from a bell-shaped or cup-like involucre. Polygonum is the largest genus of the family, however, and has also the widest distribu- tion, being found from the far north all the way to the tropics, the species usually of rank growth and weedy appearance. Buckwheat, an important article in the daily dietary of many per- *This can be seen very plainly by cross-sectioning the seeds of some one of the common goosefoots ( Chenopodium). . 94 FAMILIES OF FLOWERING PLANTS sons, is the product of Fagopyrum Fagopyrum, a member of this family, illustrated in Fig. 76. The plant, originally a native of Asia, is grown extensively in some parts of the United States and on the continent of Europe, whence it has escaped frequently and become estab- lished in a half-wild state. Buckwheat flour, although less nutritious than wheat, is greatly superior in this respect to rice. Another polygonaceous food-plant of considerable im- portance is the rhubarb (Rheum Rhaponti- cum). As we are familiar with it in gardens, it is a tall herb with enormous basal leaves, whose thick juicy stems furnish a most appe- tizing sauce, and filling for pies. Like Ru- mex, it contains a very powerful acid prin- ciple, upon which its value as an article of food chiefly depends. The genus Rhewm is native of eastern Europe and Asia, several of ee ee ee the species being described by travelers as buckwheat (Fagopyrum Fagopy. very imposing features of the landscape, par- rum), with enlarged fower and ticularly in dry waste regions of the Hima- ruit. Original. layas. There are several ornamental plants of the family, the most famil- iar in greenhouses being the vine Antigonon leptopus, the large inflated calyces of which are | bright red in color, and retain their beauty on et wane the plant for some time. Brunnichia, a native Ws” shrubby vine of the southern States is also worthy of cultivation, although the flowers are not brilliantly colored. The prince’s feather (Polygonum orientale) is a favorite in gardens. Family Chenopodiaceae. Goosefoot Fam- ily. Contains about 75 genera and 550 species, of wide geographic distribution. The goose- foots, or pigweeds, as they are often called, are herbs or rarely shrubs, having simple leaves entirely without stipules. The flowers are per- fect or bisexual, usually greenish in color, vari- . ously clustered. The perianth consists only of rig. 77. ieee tins Oe a calyx, which is persistent, investing the fruit. a eae of fruit The latter is known as a utricle, being a Ress aan peal? ae grain with several enveloping papery coatings. showing the circumscissile utri- ; : x +7, Cle; lowermost line, fower and The two uppermost drawings in Fig. 77 will fruit of Phylolacca. Original. ., FAMILIES OF FLOWERING PLANTS 95 give a good idea of the floral structure in this family, and of the curved embryo shown in the cross-section of the fruit. _ With the exception of Chenopodium, the species of which are mostly distributed over the country as weeds, the American Chenopodiaceae are largely natives of the western States, where they form the predom- inant vegetation of the so-called “alkali” plains, and are known as saltbushes (Atriplex and Suaeda). Farther south one meets the shrubs known as “greasewoods” (Sarcobatus), which are abundant in the des- ert regions of the lower Colorado watershed. When growing in saline soils, either in the interior, or along the coast, the plants are usually extremely fleshy and succulent, like other halophytes. (See Fig. 78.) As potherbs many of the mem- bers of this family are highly es- teemed. The leaves of spinach (Sp- nacia), of the beet (Beta), and of the \’ common lamb’s quarters (Chenopo- \ dium album) are used for this pur- pose. The beet, moreover, is of com- mercial importance, aside from its value as a vegetable, on account of the sugar extracted from it. The sugar-beet industry, particularly in France, has assumed large propor- tions in recent years, and the product is in many respects superior to cane sugar. Soda and potash are obtain- ed from some species of Salsola, while many of the genera yield essential oils valuable in medicine as antispas- is Fig. 78. ‘The common saltwort (Salicornia modics. herbacea), showing the fleshy cylindrical Family Amaranthaceae. Ama- leaf. After Britton & Brown, Ill. Fl. North- ranth family. Oontains about 40 ee genera and 450 species, widely distributed, but most abundant in the tropics. They are herbs or undershrubs, with simple leaves and small perfect monoecious or dioecious flowers, usually borne in dense clus- ters. The perianth may be in one or two series, but there are no true petals. Like other families in the order Centrospermae, the Amaranth fruit is utricular, but it splits in a transverse ring at about the middle ; this is called by botanists a circumscissile dehiscence. The flower and fruit are shown in the middle line of Fig. 77. The genus Amaranthus, which shares with Chenopodium the name of “pig-weed,” is one of the largest representatives of the family, and includes a number of familiar weeds of the eastern United States. The 96 FAMILIES OF FLOWERING PLANTS flower-clusters in some species are bright red, and these types are cul- tivated in gardens, together with Celosia, the cockscomb, and Gom- phrena, the globe amaranth. Family Nyctaginaceae. Four-o-clock Family. Contains about 17 genera and 250 species of wide distribution, most of them American. They are herbs, shrubs or trees, with simple entire leaves, and perfect clustered flowers, often subtended by an involucre simulating a calyx, the latter in its turn usually colored like a corolla, which is always wanting. The sepals are united, and the calyx is thus called gamo- sepalous. The ovary is one celled, becoming a grooved or winged fruit. Probably the most familiar ex- . ample of this family is the com- ~~, mon four-o-clock or marvel-of-Peru (Mirabilis Jalapa). The flower has a funnel-shaped calyx of various colors, exactly imitating a corolla, while the green involucral bracts at the base of the calyx tube are usually taken by the student for a true calyx. Mirabilis is repre- sented by several species in the southwestern States. Abronia, also a western genus, is commonly cul- tivated for its verbena-like clusters of variously colored flowers. (See Fig, 79. Family Batidaceae. Batis Fam- ily. This consists of a single genus and species, Batis maritima, a fleshy maritime shrub of the West Fig. 79. The pink Abronia (Abronta micran- Indies and the Gulf coast. ce flowers and wing-margined fruit. Family Cynocrambaceae. Cyno- crambe Family. Likewise re- stricted to a single type, Cynocrambe prostrata, a low shrub native of the Mediterranean region. Family Phytolaccaceae. Pokeweed Family. Contains about 22 genera and 90 species, mainly tropical. They are herbs or shrubs, with entire leaves destitute of stipules, and regular, polygamous or monoe- cious flowers, the perianth consisting of calyx alone; the structure of the flower may be seen in the lowermost drawings of Fig. 77. The fruit is either berry-like or capsular. The ovary contains several cells, Most of the pokeweeds possess bitter emetic or purgative proper- ties, and some are violent poisons. On the other hand, the herbage of FAMILIES OF FLOWERING PLANTS 97 our common North American representative of the family (Phytolacca VY Xt ae’ XN 4 Fig. 80. The carpetweed (Mollugo verticillata) showing enlarged flower and section of fruit. After Britton & Brown, Ill. Fl. Northeast. U. S. is a familiar plant along the south- ern seacoast. By far the largest genus is Mesembryanthemum, vari- ous species of which are cultivated in gardens, M. crystallinum being the well known “ice plant.” It is a curious feature of distribution that two species of this genus oc- cur on the islands off the coast of California, while the remainder are confined almost exclusively to the Old World. The family is also known by the name Ficoideae. Family Portulacaceae. Por- tulaca Family. Contains about 20 genera and 175 species, largely American, and always showing an affinity for dry and arid regions, their succulent and fleshy herbage amount of drought. decandra), furnish a most pala- table dish when the young shoots are boiled like Aspara- gus. The berries yield a dark red dye. Family Aizoaceae. Carpet- weed Family. Consists of 22 genera and about 500 species, natives chiefly of warm regions. They are nearly all herbs of in- significant aspect, usually pros- trate and diffusely branched, with opposite or whorled leaves and small perfect flowers, mostly destitute of petals. The ovary is free from’ the calyx and sev- eral-celled, becoming a capsule in fruit, The common carpet- weed (Mollugo verticillata) is shown in Fig. 80. Sesuviwm Portulacastrum, the sea purslane, Fig. 81. . Lewisia rediviva, a piant of the enabling them to withstand any Family Portulacaceae, nearly natural size. They are original. 98 FAMILIES OF FLOWERING PLANTS closely related to the Pink family (Caryophyllaceae) but differ in the calyx, which consists commonly of only two sepals. The petals are frequently large and showy, but always evanescent; they are four. or five in number, and like the stamens are hypogynous, that is, they are inserted on the axis beneath the pistil. The ovary is 1-celled, becom- ing in fruit a capsule which opens either by three valves, or is circum- scissile (see above). Our familiar garden representative of this family is the portulaca (Portulaca sp.), which is remarkable for the brilliancy and variety of coloration displayed by its flowers. The common purslane or “ pusley ” is also a species of Portulaca, though scarcely so highly esteemed. Claytonia, the spring beauty, is one of the daintiest of our wild flowers in the eastern States; in the west the species are much more numer- cus, although none of them surpass C. Virginica in beauty. Lewisia, a genus of the western plains, has large pink flowers and very fleshy leaves. An entire plant, only slightly reduced, is shown in Fig. 81. Family Basellaceae. Basella Family. Six genera and about 16 species, mostly tropical American fleshy twining vines. They have been frequently united with the Chenopodiaceae, but differ in the posi- tion of the stamens and in the bracts around the base of the calyx. Boussingaultia, the Madeira-vine, is common in cultivation. Fig. 82. The white campion (Silene alba), the detached calyx natural size. Original. FAMILIES OF FLOWERING PLANTS 99 » Fig. 83. Long-leaved stitchwort (Alsine longifolia), with enlarged flower. Original. Family Caryophyllaceae. Pink Family. Contains about 70 genera and over 1500 species, widely distributed, but most abundant in the northern hemisphere. They are all herbaceous plants, the stems fre- quently swollen at the joints, the leaves opposite and with or without stipules. The flowers are perfect, provided with both calyx and corolla, the former either composed of distinct sepals or united into a tube. The ovary is one-celled, becoming a utricle or capsule in fruit. Owing to the fact that a uumber of genera of very diverse habit and structure are included in this family, it is difficult to give more than very general characters. The Caryophyllaceae are of interest only as ornamental plants. Various species of Dianthus are represented in cultivation by innumer- able horticultural varieties, including all the pinks, picotees, carnations, ete. Lychnis, Silene and Gypsophila are also cultivated. In- Fig. 82, a wild white-flowered species of the latter genus (Silene alba) is shown. A number of small herbs with white or greenish flowers, known collec- tively as “chickweeds,” are comprised in the genera Arenaria, Alsine, Spergula, Tissa and Cerastium. These are all distinguished from the true pinks by having the sepals distinct and not united into a tube. (See Fig. 83.) One of the familiar weeds of waste places is the “Bouncing Bet,” Saponaria officinalis, also a member of the Pink Family. SUPPLEMENT. THE FAMILIES OF FLOWERING PLANTS. By Cuarzes Louis Pouiarp. CHAPTER XVIII. Order Ranales. The representatives of this order include many of our most familiar native plants, and some of them are among the first to appear in early spring. The order is a large one, comprising sixteen families, of which the Nymphaeaceae, Ranunculaceae, Berberidaceae, Magnoliaceae and Lauraceae are the most important. As a rule, the flowers have a corolla composed of distinct petals, but there are often cases of apetalous flow- ers, particularly in many Ranun- ‘ culaceae and in practically all the Lauraceae. The ovary is always superior and free from the calyx; it may be composed of one or many carpels. The stamens are numerous and hypogynous (in- serted beneath the ovary). Family Nymphaeaceae. Water- lily Family. Contains eight gen- era and about 30 species, all aquatic herbs, denizens of fresh water ponds and streams in tem- perate and tropical regions. They furnish by far the finest and most ornamental examples of cultivated aquatics. The plants produce sol- itary axillary flowers, whose struc- Fig. 84. The water-shield (Brasenia purpurea). ture differs remarkably among After Britton & Brown, Ill. Fl. North. U. S. the different genera. In the water-shields (Cabomba and Brasenia) the sepals and petals are 3 and the stamens 6; in the true water-lilies (Cas- talia), the lotuses (Nelumbo), and the spatter-dock (Nymphaea), the petals and stamens are numerous, and there is often a tendency for the stamens to become petaloid and to lose their function as pollen-bearers. 102 FAMILIES OF FLOWERING PLANTS All the transition stages of this process may be observed in the flower of the common water-lily. This genus (Castalia) is represented in the United States by several species. The flowers of C. odorata are the most fragrant; in southern species the fragrance partially or wholly disappears. On the coast of New England, particularly on Cape Cod, occurs a beautiful pink-flowered variety. The exotic Castalias, usually cultivated as Nymphaeas, exhibit a wide diversity of coloration, includ- ing all shades of blue, purple and red. The yellow lotus (Nelumbo lutea) is common in certain parts of the country, while the pink lotus (N. Nelumbo) has become natural- ized in ponds about Bordentown, New Jersey. The giant water-lily of the Amazon (Victoria regia) is too well known by description to require comment. Family Ceratophyllaceae. Horn- wort family. Contains a single genus, Ceratophyllum, with three widely distributed species, the most familiar of which is C. demersum. It is a submerged aquatic, with capil- lary or thread-like stems and leaves, found frequently in slow-moving streams. The flowers are without a corolla, and the calyx is many- parted. The fruit is an achene with a long beak, and usually covered with tnbercles or provided with spiny appendages. Fig. 85. The marsh marigold (Caltha pa- Family Trochodendraceae. Tro- Justris). After Britton & Brown, Ill. Fl. chodendron Family. Contains two North. U. 8. «7e . genera, Cercidiphyllwm, with two spe- cies, and Trochodendron, which is monotypic. They are Japanese trees, formerly included in the Magnoliaceae, but distinguishable on account of their peculiar flowers, which are entirely destitute of perianth. The numerous stamens are deciduous, surrounding the 5-8-celled ovary. The leaves are borne in whorls, a character from which the names of both venera are derived. Family Ranunculaceae. Crowfoot or Buttercup Family. Con- tains about 40 genera and over 1000 species, natives of temperate or even arctic regions, remarkably scarce in the tropics. They are herbs or rarely climbing shrubs, with watery and acrid juice, simple or com- pound leaves, and flowers usually with both calyx and corolla, the FAMILIES OF FLOWERING PLANTS 103 © sepals and petals distinct. The stamens vary from few to many, and are hypogynous, or inserted on the receptacle beneath the pistils. On account of the ease with which the floral parts of most Ranun- culaceae can be examined, this family has long been a favorite with amateur students, and in the old sequence established by Bentham and Hooker, the Ranunculaceae were placed at the head, chiefly on account of their simplicity of structure. In many respects the group as it stands is an artificial one, for it includes plants with berry-like fruit, as in Actaea and its relatives; plants bearing achenes, like the crowfoots ; and plants with small capsules or follicles like the columbine and lark- spur. But while the genera have of late years been frequently divided, Hepatica being removed from Anemone, and Atragene from Clematis, for example, the family has been treated as an aggregate. Members of the Ranuncula- ceae are among the first flowers to welcome us in early spring. The hepatica, well shown in the beau- tiful accompanying photograph, unfolds its fuzzy flower buds on rocky slopes with the first balmy breath of spring, often when crev- ices of the adjacent cliffs are still sealed with snow. A little later, various species of Ranunculus brighten the open woodlands and pastures with flecks of golden yel- low, a color reflected from the near-by swamps in the flowers of the marsh-marigold (Caltha palus- tris). The anemone and the rue- Fig. 86. The early meadow-rue (Thalictrnm dioicum). After Britton & Brown, Ill. FI. anemone help to carpet the ground, north. us. while the feathery, grayish-white masses of meadow-rue (Thalictrum dioicum) give a ghostly suggestion to the woods. In midsummer various forms of clematis serve as a re- minder of the family. The beauty of most ranunculaceous flowers in the wild state has rendered it unnecessary to develop them to a marked degree in culti- vation, but the larkspurs have been greatly improved, while the genus Paeonia, which has its headquarters in eastern Asia, has attained a wonderful prominence in the hands of the horticulturists. Many of the large double paeonies are fully equal to roses in the beauty of their coloring, and in delicacy of texture. The columbines, moreover, being 104 FAMILIES OF FLOWERING PLANTS a group in which there is naturally a wide range of color, have re- sponded well to hybridization, and may now be found in almost all shades of yellow, red, blue and white. Owing to the acrid and caustic principle that pervades the herbage and more particularly the roots of many members of the Ranuncula- ceae, several important drugs and poisons, such as aconite and helle- bore, are derived from them. Family Lardizabalaceae. lLardizabala Family. A small Asiatic family of seven genera and eleven species, interesting chiefly as orna- mental shrubs. Akebia quinata, a Japanese woody vine with lurid pur- ple flowers, palmately lobed leaves, and odd green fruit, is now com- monly cultivated in this country. - Family Berberidaceae. Barberry Family. Consists of eight gen- era and about 140 species, most of which belong to Berberis. The group consists of herbs or shrubs, which may be known by the flowers having imbricated petals, and. stamens of the same number as the petals, and placed opposite them. The pistil is simple, becoming in fruit a berry or a capsule. The Berberidaceae was made by older systematists to include the Lardizabalaceae. Its relationship to the other families discussed in this chapter may be traced by means of the hypogynous petals and stamens. Berberis, the most important genus, is represented by a num- ber of pinnate-leaved species native in western North America, and by many exotics of the simple-leaved group in cultivation. The pendent racemes of variously. colored flowers, succeeded by the showy berries, are highly ornamental. The fruit of the common barberry (B. vulgaris) makes an excellent preserve, while the bark of several species is used in the manufacture of dyes. The mandrake or may-apple (Podophyllum peltatum)) one of our familiar eastern wild flowers, belongs to this family, as does also the twin-leaf (Jeffersonia diphylla), and the blue cohosh (Caulophyllum thal- ictroides). The large leaves of the mandrake, curiously suggestive of umbrellas, conceal beneath their ample expanse a handsome waxy white flower, possessing a peculiar pineapple-like fragrance. This is suc- ceeded by a lemon-shaped fruit of a disgustingly mawkish flavor, which, as Dr. Gray once observed, is “eaten by pigs and boys.” The Berberi- diceae as a group are confined to temperate regions, and find the center of their distribution in the Chino-Japanese region. Family Menispermaceae. Moonseed Family.