MARANTACEAE 307 
round-topped: perianth 10-12 mm. long, woolly without, yellow and glabrous within: 
sepals linear, about as long as the hypanthium ; petals about } longer than the sepals, nar- 
rowly oblong, involute, obtuse: capsules subglobose, 5-6 mm. in diameter : seeds angled. 
[ Lachnanthes tinctoria ( Walt.) Ell. ] 
In swamps and wet pine lands, Massachusetts to Florida. Spring to fall. RED-ROOT. 
Order ll. SCITAMINALES. 
Large herbs, commonly perennial by rootstocks or tubers, or rarely annual. 
Leaves sometimes all basal, with ample blades. Flowers very irregular. Peri- 
anth often brightly colored. Gynoecium compound. Ovary inferior. Fruit a 
capsule or utriele. Endosperm present. 
Caulescent plants: fruit capsular, 3-celled : embryo straight. FAM. 1. CANNACEAE. 
Scapose plants: fruit utricular, 1-celled : embryo hooked. Fam. 2. MARANTACEAE. 
FAMILY 1. CANNACEAE Link. CANNA FAMILY. 
Perennial herbs, with erect stems. Leaves alternate : blades thick : petioles 
sheathing the stem. Flowers perfect, in terminal racemes or spike-like racemes. 
Perianth usually showy, double. Sepals 3, imbricated, erect. Petals 3, more or 
less united below into a tube and adnate to the corolloid androecium.  Fila- 
ments petal-like, the 3 exterior nearly equal, sterile, the 2 interior more or less 
united, but only one filament anther-bearing. Anther marginal. Gynoecium 
of 3 united carpels. Ovary 3-celled, inferior, with parietal placentae. Style 
petal-like. Stigma marginal. Ovules numerous. Fruit a 3-celled loculicidally 
3-valved capsule with a papillose or bristly coat. Seeds with a membranous or 
M fleshy testa. Embryo often central, sometimes flattened. Endosperm 
orny. 
1. CANNA L. 
Characters of the family. INDIAN-SHOT. 
Petals lanceolate, 3-3.5 em. long. 1. C. Indica. 
Petals obovate, 5-8 cm. long. 2. C. flaccida. 
1. Canna Indica L. Stems 8-16 dm. tall, commonly simple, slender: leaf-blades 
oblong, elliptic-oblong or elliptic-ovate, 2-4 dm. long, acute or slightly acuminate, entire, 
rounded at the base ; petioles sheathing : spikes few-flowered : sepals oblong, 3-4 cm. long, 
acute: petals pale green or yellowish green, lanceolate, 3-3.5 cm. long: filaments bright 
red : lip reddish yellow, spotted with red. 
On river banks, Mississippi and Texas. Naturalized from the tropics. Summer. 
2. Canna fláccida Roscoe. Stems 4-18 dm. tall, stout, commonly simple: leaf- 
blades leathery, narrowly elliptic to oblong-elliptie or sometimes broadest above or below 
the middle: spikes few-Howered : sepals 3, linear or oblong, 2.5-3 cm. long, acute : petals 
yellow, obovate, 5-8 cm. long, rather large: capsule oblong, 4—6 cm. long, densely bristly : 
seeds subglobose, about 5 mm. in diameter, coarsely reticulated except a small portion. 
In swamps near the coast, South Carolina to Florida. Spring to fall. 
p 
FAMILY 2. MARANTACEAE Lindl. ARROWROOT FAMILY. 
Tall scapose herbs, mostly perennial by short or elongated rootstocks. 
Leaves alternate, commonly ample: blades leathery, pinnately-nerved : petioles 
sheathing. Flowers perfect or sometimes polygamous, in terminal spikes, 
racemes or panicles, two commonly arising from a 2-valved, spathe-like organ 
of 2 bracts. Gynoecium of united carpels. Ovary 1-3-celled, inferior. Style 
slender, curved. Ovule 1 in each cavity, anatropous. Fruit a 1-3-celled utricle 
or a utricle-like capsule. Seed solitary in each cavity, covered by the thin 
coat. Embryo central or nearly so. 
1. THALIA L. 
Acaulescent herbs, with tall scapes, simple below the inflorescence. Leaves basal : 
blades ample: petioles elongated, sheathing at the base. Flowers in terminal panicles, not 
