Fam. 39. Marantaceae Peters. Arrowroot Family 



Herbs with alternate or basal sheathing leaves provided with a joint at the 

 summit of the petiole; flowers perfect, typically 3-merous; sepals separate, usually 

 green and similar or only slightly dissimilar; petals 3, separate or united at base, 

 forming an irregular corolla; stamens of the outer circle reduced to 2 or 1, these 

 modified into staminodia and often petaloid; stamens of the inner circle 3, 2 

 staminodes, the third only half-staminode and half-fertile; ovary inferior, 3-celled 

 or by abortion 1 -celled; ovule solitary and erect in each cell; fruit fleshy or 

 capsular; seeds arillate. 



About 26 genera and 400 species, all tropical except ours. 



1. Thalia L. 



Characteristics of the family. About a dozen species found in America and 

 Africa. 



1. Thalia dealbata Roscoe. Powdery-thalia. Fig. 350. 



Erect scapose herbs from strong rhizomes, with large basal long-petioled leaves; 

 leaves 3, the blades ovate-lanceolate or elliptic-lanceolate and 2-4 dm. long; 

 scapes 1-2 dm. tall; inflorescence more or less white-powdery; flowers purplish, 

 in panicled spikes, each surrounded by several coriaceous bracts; corolla tube 

 short; staminodia petaloid, somewhat connate, the largest deflexed and lip-like; 

 ovary 1 -celled; fruit a capsule. T. barbata Small. 



In water of ditches, edge of ponds and in swamps in s.e. Okla. (Johnston and 

 McCurtain cos.), e. and s e. Tex., Oct.-Nov.; from Fla. to Tex. and Okla., n. to 

 S. C. and s.e. Mo. 



Fam. 40. Burnianniaceae Bl. Burmannia Family 



Small annual or perennial herbs, commonly with grasslike basal leaves and/ or 

 alternate minute bractlike leaves on the stem, saprophytic or autophytic; flowers 

 solitary or several in a terminal cluster or cyme, or racemosely scattered on upper 

 part of stem, perfect, with a 6-cleft perianth whose tube adheres to the 1- or 3- 

 celled ovary; stamens 3 or 6, attached to the perianth tube about the middle or 

 near its summit; anthers with broad connectives; capsule usually irregularly de- 

 hiscent, with numerous minute seeds. 



About 17 genera comprising more than 125 species, mostly tropical and sub- 

 tropical. 



1. Hypanthium 3-angled or 3-winged; ovary 3-celled; capsule 3-valved from the 

 apex or irregularly rupturing 1. Burmannia 



1. Hypanthium terete; ovary 1-celled; capsule 3-valved from the base 



2. Apteria 



1. Burmannia L. 



Mostly small herbs with linear or scalelike leaves and solitary, capitate, racemose 

 or cymose flowers; perianth 3-angIed or 3-wingcd, with the outer 3 lobes much 

 larger than the minute or essentially lacking 3 inner lobes; stamens 3, sessile in 

 the throat of perianth; ovary 3-celled; capsule crowned by the persistent perianth. 



A genus of nearly 60 species, mainly in the tropics of both hemispheres. 



1. Flowers 1 or several in a raceme; hypanthium broadly 3-winged.... 1. B. bifiora. 



I. Flowers several in a terminal cluster; hypanthium merely 3-angled 



2. B. capitata. 



686 



