280 MELANTHIACEAE 
15. ZYGADENUS Michx. Glaucous caulescent herbs, with horizontal 
rootstocks. Leaves mainly basal: blades elongate. Flowers perfect, panicu- 
late. 
8 
angled.—Following is the only known 
species. 
1. Z. glaberrimus Michx, Stem 5-14 
dm. tall: leaf-blades linear: paniele- 
branches gpa sepals 11-15 mm. 
long, with ovat ute or acuminate 
blade a a pu elaw: petals about as 
long as the S E to dece] 
elliptic, clawless: capsule abou 
long.—Sandy m Coastal Plain, Fla. 
to La. and Va.—-Sum 
16. MELANTHIUM L. — eaulescent herbs. Leaves ~- basal: 
blades linear or slightly dilated. Flowers monoecious or polygamous, panicu- 
late, the panicle-branches pubescent. pss als and petals white, cream-colored, 
or greenish, each with 2 glands above the Po Seeds winged. The genus 
comprises only the following species, —Sum.— BUNCH-FLOWERS 
Blades of the sepals and petals suborbicular reniform, often 
claws : leaf-blades manifestly broadest above the middle. 1. M. latifolium. 
rly so 
Panicle narrow, élongate, central axis much surpassing the 
ME flowers numerous: S barely twice as long f . 
e claws of the sepals and petal 2. M. virginicum. 
Panicle pre as broad as long, central axis not surpassing 
the branches: flowers few: blades fully thrice as ton 
the claws of the sepals and petals. 3. M. dispersum. 
l. M. es di Stem 5—12 dm. tall: leaf-blades broadened above the 
middle, acute minate: panicle 2— : dm. long: perianth whitish: sepals 
and i with dus nearly as long a 
a blades.—Swamp margins, m " 
Sw 
and woods, Piedmont and ad adj. 
|. provinces, $. C. to Pa. and Con 
2. M rginicum L. Stem 7-17 dm. 
tall: Mes ME linear, attenuate: pan- 
icl 1l- 
lands, various provinces, N Fla. to Tex., 
Minn., and R. I.—The persistent perianth 
Tem ne red or brown. In the figur 
the Creed are partly pulled | hor 
the penus -elaw 
dispersum Small. Stem 9-20 dm. tall: leaf -blades 2 attenuate: 
long as the blades.—Woods, Coastal Plain, N Fla. to Miss. an es 
3. M. 
paniele very broad: perianth mnc sepals and petals with claws about 14 as 
N. C. 
