GENUS 2. 



RUSH FAMILY. 



4S5 



7. Juncoides campestre (L.) Kuntze. Common Wood-rush. Fig. 1219. 



Juncus campestris L. Sp. PI. 329. 1753- 

 Luzula campestris DC. Fl. Fr. 3: 161. 1805. 

 Juncoides campestre Kuntze, Rev. Gen. PI. 722. 1891. 



Stems densely tufted, erect, 4'-2o' high, 2-4-leaved. 

 Leaf-blades flat, i"-3i" broad, tapering at the apex to 

 a blunt almost gland-like point, sparingly webbed when 

 young; inflorescence umbelloid; lower bracts foliose, 

 the lowest often exceeding the inflorescence, its several 

 branches straight, unequal, each bearing an oblong to 

 short-cylindric dense spike; floral bracts ovate, acumi- 

 nate ; bractlets similar but smaller, fimbriate at the apex ; 

 perianth i"-ii" long, brown, its parts lanceolate-ovate, 

 acuminate ; capsule obovoid or broadly oblong ; seed with 

 an oblong body about \" in length, supported on a nar- 

 rower white loosely cellular, strophiole-like base about 

 one-half as long. 



In woodlands, almost throughout the United States and 

 British America. Also in Europe and Asia. Sweeps. Chim- 

 ney-sweeps. Black-caps. Good-Friday. Black-head- or 

 Cuckoo-grass. One of our earliest flowering plants, consisting of several slightly differing races. 



Juncoides bulbosum (Wood) Small, usually distinguishable from this plant by bearing bulblets 

 at the base of the stems, ranges from the District of Columbia to Georgia, Arkansas and Texas, 

 and may be specifically distinct. 



Family 21. MELANTHACEAE R. Br. Prodr. i : 272. 1810. 

 BUNCH-FLOWER FAMILY. 



Leafy-stemmed herbs (some exotic genera scapose), with rootstocks or rarely 

 with bulbs, the leaves broad or grass-like, parallel-veined, the veins often connected 

 by transverse veinlets. Flowers perfect, polygamous, or dioecious, regular, race- 

 mose, panicled or solitary. Perianth of 6 separate or nearly separate, usually 

 persistent segments. Stamens 6, borne on the bases of the perianth-segments. 

 Anthers small, 2-celled, oblong or ovate, or confluently i -celled and cordate or 

 reniform, mostly versatile and extrorsely dehiscent (introrse in Tofieldia, Triantha 

 and Abama). Ovary 3-celled, superior or rarely partly inferior; ovules few or 

 numerous in each cavity, anatropous or amphitropous. Styles 3, distinct or nearly 

 so. Fruit a capsule with septicidal dehiscence (loculicidal in Abama}. Seeds 

 commonly tailed or appendaged. Embryo small, in usually copious endosperm. 



About 40 genera and 145 species, widely distributed. 

 Anthers oblong or ovate, 2-celled. 

 Anthers introrsely dehiscent. 



Capsule septicidal ; flowers involucrate by 3 bractlets. 

 Inflorescence centripetal ; seeds unappendaged. 

 Inflorescence centrifugal ; seeds appendaged. 

 Capsule loculicidal ; flowers not involucrate. 

 Anthers extrorsely dehiscent. 

 Flowers perfect. 



Leaves basal, oblanceolate ; seeds numerous. 

 Stem very leafy ; leaves linear ; seeds few. 

 Flowers dioecious ; stem leafy. 

 Anthers cordate or reniform, confluently i -celled. 

 Plants glabrous. 



Perianth-segments not gland-bearing. 



Flowers perfect ; perianth-segments obtuse. 

 Flowers polygamous ; perianth-segments acuminate. 

 Perianth-segments bearing i or 2 glands, or a spot. 



Plant with a thick horizontal rootstock ; perianth-segments with 2 



Plants bulbous, or with short erect rootstocks ; perianth-segments 

 Flowers perfect ; bulbs membranous-coated. 

 Ovary partly inferior ; gland obcordate. 

 Ovary wholly superior ; gland obovate or half-orbicular. 

 Flowers polygamous ; rootstocks fibrous-coated. 

 Stem and inflorescence pubescent. 



Perianth-segments distinctly clawed, glandless. 

 Perianth-segments not clawed or very short-clawed, 2-glandular. 



7- 

 8. 



glands. 

 9- 

 with i 



10. 

 1 1. 

 12. 



Tofieldia. 

 Triantha. 

 Abama. 



Xerophyllum. 



Helonias. 



Chamaelirium. 



Chrosperma. 

 Stenanthium. 



14. 



Zygadenus. 

 gland. 



Ant idea. 



Toxicoscordion. 



Oceanoros. 



Melanthium. 

 Veratrum. 



