96 American Midland Naturalist Monograph No. 2 



5. Leaves glaucous beneath; fruit bluish, glaucous, 2-5-sceded. 



6. Stem climbing, 1-3 m. long; tendrils present; umbels 25-100-flo\vered; 

 peduncles in the axils of leaves; woods, common. May-June. [S. her- 

 bacea vat. lasioneuron (Hook.) A. DC; S. herbacea sensu auth., not 

 L.] Carrion Flower S. lasioneuron Hook. 



6. Stem erect, 40 60 cm. tall; tendrils usually absent; umbels with fewer 

 than 25 flowers; peduncle in the axil of a bract below the leaves; 



moist woods, locally throughout III., except the s. counties. May 



S. ecirrhata (Engelm.) Wats. 



32. DioscoREACEAE Lindl. — Yam Family 

 1. DioscoREA L. — Yam 



1. Petioles glabrous or nearly so at the insertion of the blade; mature capsules 

 1.5-2.3 cm. long; all the leaves alternate (or the three lowest close to- 

 gether or indefinitely whorled); blades glabrous or puberulent beneath; 

 seeds (exclusive of the wing) 3-4.5 mm. broad; rhizome mostly 5-8 mm. 

 thick (when dry), simple, or rarely branched; thickets or open woods, 

 common. May-July [D. paniculata Michx.] D. vUlosa L. 



1. Petioles puberulent at the insertion of the blade; mature capsules 2.5-3 cm. 

 long; lower leaves in whorls of 4-9 (usually 6) ; lower surface of blades 

 glabrous or puberulent, glaucous or green; seeds (exclusive of the wing) 

 5 6.5 mm. broad; rhizome stout, irregularly knotted, 1-1.5 cm. thick; 



woods, s. 111., not common. May-June. [D. glauca Muhl.} 



D. quaternata (Walt.) Gmel. 



33. Amaryllidaceae Lindl. — Amaryllis Family 



I. Bulbous herbs; flowers umbellate, on a solid scape; perianth white, the segments 



united below mto a cylindrical tube I. hfymenocallis 



I . Plants not bulbous. 



2. Flowers in a long spike or spike-like raceme; leaves basal. 



3. Perianth greenish yellow; leaves thick, succulent; anthers versatile; ovary wholly 



inferior 2. Agave 



3. Perianth white (in our species) ; leaves thin, flat, lanceolate; anthers not versatile; 



ovary half inferior 3. Alelris 



2. Flowers solitary or subumbellate, bright yellow; low mostly pubescent herbs with 

 grass- like leaves 4. Hvpoxis 



1. Hymenocallis Salisb. 



H. occidentalis (Le Conte) Kunth. Spider Lily. Stream-banks, rare, "s. 

 111.," M. Craig in 1890. 



2. Agave L. — American Aloe 

 A. virginicd L. Sandy soil, s. 111. June-Aug. [Manjrcda rirginica (L.) 

 Salisb.] 



3. Aletris L. — Colic-root 



A. jarinosa L. Sandy woods, Kankakee, Cook, and Lake counties, rare. 

 July-Aug. 



4. Hypoxis L. — Star-grass 



H. hirsuta (L.) Coville. Meadows, sandy soil, open woods, common. Apr.- 

 June. 



