inseparably attached to carpellary parts; albumen sometimes partly liquid at 

 maturity but commonly firm and hard and either continuous and plain in struc- 

 ture or ruminate by intrusion of lateral walls, placement of the embryo from basal 

 to apical. 



The genera and species are many, the latter in the thousands and often limited 

 in distribution; mostly in tropical regions, with only one genus in Texas. Plants 

 of most palms are highly ornamental, and several species are cultivated in the 

 warmer areas of southern Texas, especially in the Rio Grande Valley. Among 

 these are species of Phoenix, Sabal and Washingtonia. 



1. Sabal Adans. 



A small genus of about 25 species confined to the Western Hemisphere. 



1. Sabal minor (Jacq.) Pers. Bush palmetto, dwarf palmetto. 



Usually acaulescent, only occasionally developing an abbreviated stem that 

 might become 6 m. tall; leaf blade palmate, bluish, not glaucous, stiff in appear- 

 ance, to 15 dm. wide, divided to about two-thirds its length into numerous seg- 

 ments; petiole extending on lower side of blade as a midrib; spadices intrafoliar, 

 with many narrow acuminate nodifronds from which the separate flower clusters 

 issue; flowers perfect; stamens 6; ovary solitary; superior; fruits black, globular 

 or oblate, dull or shining, 8-13 mm. in diameter. S. louisiana (Darby) Bombard. 



In lowlands, swamps, river terraces and floodplains, reported (but not seen) 

 from Okla., in e. Tex., w. to the Edwards Plateau and s. to Aransas Co.; from 

 n.e. N.C., s. to s. Fla., w. to s.w. Ark. and Tex. 



According to Bailey, the conspicuously caulescent plants, such as those found 

 in Brazoria County, Texas, represent the optimum emergence of this species. 

 Other than size, there seems to be no botanical difference between the dwarf 

 acaulescent plants and those that develop a prominent trunk. The arborescent 

 plants have been given the name S. louisiana. 



The fruits of this species are eaten by various songbirds and by squirrels and 

 raccoons. 



Fam. 27. Araceae Juss. Arum Family 



Perennial herbs from corms, rhizomes or thick roots, with soft succulent stems 

 and leaves, usually with slender raphides and frequently with acrid or pungent 

 juices; the veiny leaves simple or compound; flowers unisexual or perfect, crowded 

 on a spadix which is usually subtended by a foliaceous or colored spathe; perianth 

 none or composed of 4 to 6 similar hypogynous segments; stamens usually 4 to 6, 

 hypogynous, opposite the perianth segments when these are present; ovary 

 superior; fruit usually a berry, indehiscent or rupturing irregularly; seeds with 

 fleshy albumen or none. 



A large family, chiefly tropical, of about 1 15 genera and 2,000 species. 



1. Plants floating on water; pistillate flowers solitary at base of inflorescence 



5. Pistia 



1. Plants rooted in soil; pistillate or perfect flowers several to many (2) 



2(1). Spathe-well-developed, fleshy or petaloid (3) 



2. Spathe obscure or like the foliage leaves; flowers perfect, with perianths of 



6 segments (4) 



3(2). Flowers covering only the base of the spadix; leaves compound 



1. Arisaema 



3. Flowers almost completely covering the spadix; leaves simple 2. Pcltandra 



556 



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