LEMNACEAE. 



4. SPATHYEMA Raf. 



A fetid herb, with large ovate cordate leaves, thick straight rootstocks and a 

 short erect partly underground scape. Spathe swollen, shell-like, thick, pointed, 

 completely enclosing the spadix. Spadix globose or oblong, short-stalked, covered 

 by the perfect flowers. Perianth of 4 hooded sepals. Filaments slightly dilated; 

 anthers 2 -celled, short, extrorse, opening longitudinally. Ovary nearly buried in 

 the tissue of the spadix, i-celledwith a solitary suspended anatropous ovule. Style 

 pyramidal, 4-sided, thick, elongated; stigma minute. Berries immersed in the 

 spongy axis of the spadix, becoming adnate to the succulent perianth in ripening, 

 i -seeded, forming large heads. Seeds large. Embryo large, fleshy; endosperm 

 none. [Greek, referring to the spathe.] A monotypic genus of E. North America 

 and N. E. Asia. 



i. Spathyema foetida (L.) Raf. SKUNK CABBAGE. (I. F. f. 881.) Leaves 

 numerous, in large crowns, 3-9 dm. long, often 3 dm. wide, strongly nerved, 

 abruptly acute at the apex, thin, entire, their petioles deeply channeled. Root- 

 stock thick, terminating in whorls of fleshy fibers; spathe preceding the leaves, 

 erect, 7-15 cm. high, 2-8 cm. in diameter at the base, convolute, firm, purple- 

 jrown to greenish yellow, often mottled; spadix about 2.5 cm. in diameter in 

 flower, enlarging and sometimes 15 cm. in diameter in fruit. In swamps and wet 

 soil, N. S. to Ont., Minn., Fla. and Iowa. Feb. -April. 



5. ORONTIUM L. 



Aquatic herbs, with thick rootstocks, oblong-elliptic nerved leaves without a dis- 

 tinct midvein, and slender terete scapes terminated by a cylindric spadix. Spathe 

 enclosing the spadix when very young, soon parting and remaining as a sheathing 

 bract at its base, or falling away. Flowers perfect, bright yellow, covering the 

 whole spadix. Sepals 4-6, scale-like, imbricated upon the ovary; stamens as many 

 as the sepals; filaments linear; abruptly narrowed above; anthers small, with two 

 diverging sacs opening by oblique slits. Ovary partly imbedded in the axis of the 

 spadix, depressed, obtusely angled, i -celled; ovule solitary, half-anatropous; 

 stigma sessile. Fruit a green utricle. Endosperm none; embryo long-stalked. 

 [Ancient name of some water plant.] A monotypic genus of eastern N. America. 



I. Orontium aquaticum L. GOLDEN-CLUB. (I. F. f. 882.) Leaves deep 

 dull green above, pale beneath, the blade 1-3 dm. long, 4-12 cm. wide, entire, 

 acute or cuspidate at the apex, narrowed at the base into a petiole. Scape 1.5 

 6 dm. long, flattened near the spadix; spadix 2-5 cm. long, 6-8 mm. in diameter, 

 much thickened in fruit; spathe bract-like, 5-10 cm. long, 2-keeled on the back, 

 usually falling away early; utricle roughened on top with 9 or 10 tubercles. In 

 swamps and ponds, Mass, to Penn., Fla. and La., mostly near the coast. April- 

 May. 



6. ACORUS L. 



Erect herbs, with long branched rootstocks, sword-shaped leaves, and 3-angled 

 scapes keeled on the back and channeled in front, and a seemingly lateral cylindric 

 spadix, the scape appearing as if extending long beyond it, but this upper part is 

 morphologically a spathe. Flowers perfect, densely covering the spadix. Peri- 

 anth of 6 membranous concave sepals. Stamens 6; filaments flattened; anthers 

 reniform or sagittate, 2-celled, the cells confluent at maturity. Ovary oblong, 3-4- 

 celled with 2-8 anatropous ovules in each cavity ; stigma sessile, depressed-capitate. 

 Fruit a 2-3-celled gelatinous berry, few-seeded. Endosperm copious. [Name 

 ancient.] Two known species, the following widely distributed in the north tem- 

 perate zone, the other Japanese. 



I. Acorus Calamus L. SWEET FLAG. CALAMUS-ROOT. (L F. f. 883.) 

 Leaves linear, erect, 5-15 dm. tall and 2-5 cm. wide or less, sharp-pointed and 

 sharp-edged, with a ridged midvein. 2-ranked, closely sheathing each other and 

 the scape. Spathe projecting 2-8 dm. beyond the spadix; spadix spike-like, 

 5-9 cm. long, about I cm. in diameter; flowers minute, greenish-yellow. In swamps 

 and along streams, N. S. to Ont., Minn., La. and Kans. Also in Europe and 

 Asia. May-July. 



