ORDER 148. MELANTHACE^E. 347 



23. ASPARAGUS, L. Perianth 6-parted, segm. erect, slight-spreading 

 abow. Sta. 6, perigynous. Sty. very short, slig. 3. Berry 3-celled, cells 

 2-seeded. li Rts. fibrous, matted. Stems with filiform branchlets for leaves 

 in the axils of scales. 



A. officinalia L. Stem herbaceous, very branching, erect; Ivs. fasciculate; flowers 

 axillary : berries red. Long cultivated, and in rocky shores. 



24. STREFTOPUS, MX. TWIST-FOOT. Perianth bell-form, of 6 dis- 

 tinct, recurved sepals. Anth. longer than the filaments. Style elongated, 

 stigmas 3-lobed. Berry globous, red, oo-seeded. 11 Stem fork-branched. 

 Flowers axillary, solitary, on a geniculatc or curved pedicel. June. 



1 S. rosens MX. Lvs. oblong-ovate, clasping, margin finely ciliate ; pedicels oftener 



merely recurved ; anth. short, 2-horned at apex ; stigma trifid. Damp woods, north- 

 ward. If 15'. Flowers reddish, spotted, under the leaves. 



2 S. amplexifolius DC. Leaves oblong-ovate, strongly clasping, margin smooth 



and entire ; pedicels abruptly bent in the middle ; anthers and stigmas entire at the 

 apex ; sepals long-pointed, reflexed. Woods, Penn., and N. 2f. 



25. PROSARTES, Don. Perianth as in Uvtilaria. Fil. 6, pe*rigynous, 

 included, much longer than the linear-oblong anth. Style elongated, trifid. 

 Berry red, ovoid or oblong, 3-6-seeded. U Stem erect, branched. Flow- 

 ers few, greenish, terminal, drooping. May. 



P. lantcginosa Don. Lvs. ovate-oblong, pointed, clasping, downy beneath ; pedicels 

 in pairs ; flowers spreading-bell-form ; sep. 56" long. Mountains, N. Y. to Car. 



26. UVUIiARIA, L. BELLWORT. Perianth of 6 linear-oblong, conni- 

 vent sepals, each nectariferous at base. Fila. much shorter than the long, 

 linear, included anth. Style trifid. Caps. 3-celled, few-seeded, if Stem 

 forking. Leaves alternate. Flowers yellowish, drooping. 



Leaves perfoliate near the base. Capsule obovoid-triangular, truncate Nos. 1 3 



Leaves sessile or half-clasping. Capsule ovoid or oval- triangular . . . Nos. 46 



1 U. grandiflora. Sm. Sepals acuminate, smooth within and without, greenish yel- 



low, 1$' long ; anthers obtuse ($') Woods, 1 2f. May. 



2 U. perfoliata L. Mealy B. Sepals acute, H', twisted, covered inside with shining 



grains, pale yellow ; anthers cuspidate. Woods. 1014'. May. 



3 U. flava Sui. Lvs. obtuse ; sepals smooth both sides, yellow. 1'. N. J. to Va. 



4 U. sessilifolia L. Wild Oats. Lvs. lance-oval, glaucous beneath ; capsule stiped ; 



style 3-clef't, nearly as long as the (9") sepals. Glades : common. 610'. May. 



5 U. FIorida.na Chapm. Leaves oblong, glaucous beneath ; style 3-clelt, half as 



long as the acuminate (8") sepals. Woods, Fla. 46'. March. 



6 U. puberula MX. Leaves puberulent. oval, green both sides ; capsule sessile (no 



etipe) : style 3-parted to near the base, not exceeding the anthers. Mountains, S 



OKDEB CXLVIII. MELANTHACE^. MELANTHS. 



Herbs perennial, sometimes bulbous, often poisonous, with parallel- veined 

 leaves. Perianth double, regular, persistent, of 6 consimilar, green or col- 

 ored segments. Stamens 6, with extrorse anthers, 3 distinct styles or sessile 

 stigmas, and a free, 3-celled ovary. Capsule 3-celled, 3-partible or septicidal, 

 and seeds few or many, with a thin seed-coat. Very near the Lilyworto, 

 but the divided pistils afford a practical distinction. 



