34 



LILIACEAE (LILY FAMILY) 



Perianth present. The spadix is borne on the side of a leaf- 

 like scape. 



A. Calamus, SWEET FLAG, CALAMUS. Sepals and stamens 6. Aro- 

 matic, especially the thick creeping rootstocks from which the drug 

 calamus is obtained. Leaves sword-like. Scape leaf-like and extend- 

 ing far beyond the yellowish-green spadix. Margins of streams and 

 swamps. 



COMMELINACEAE (SPIDERWORT FAMILY) 



Herbs with fibrous and sometimes thickened roots, jointed and 

 often branching leafy stems, and mostly perfect flowers, which are 

 often irregular. Calyx and corolla distinct, composed of three 

 persistent and usually green sepals and three usually ephemeral 

 petals. Style I, stigma undivided. The leaves are entire and 

 parallel veined. 



TRADESCANTIA 



Flowers regular, showy. Filaments bearded. Perennials. Stem 

 juice copious, mucilaginous. Leaves keeled. The ephemeral blue 



to purple flowers, occurring in um- 

 belled clusters, are produced 

 throughout the summer. (Named 

 for Tradescant, gardener to 

 Charles the First of England.) 



LILIACEAE (LILY FAMILY) 



Herbs, with regular and sym- 

 metrical almost always 6-androus 

 flowers. 



VERATRUM 



Flowers polygamo-monoecious. 

 Stem pubescent above, arising from 

 a running rootstock. ( Vere, truly ; 

 ater, black.) 



V. viride, FALSE HELLEBORE. A 

 somewhat pubescent perennial with simple stems arising from a thick- 

 ened base which produces coarse fibrous roots which are very poison- 

 ous. The leaves are 3-ranked and strongly veined. The dull flowers 



Tradescantia virginiana, Spiderwort. 



