374 



MELAXTHACEAE 



4. STENANTHIUM Kunth, Enum. 4: 189. 1842. 



Erect glabrous bulbous herbs, with few mainly basal narrow leaves, and racemose or 

 paniculate perfect, greenish, Ijrownish or purplish flowers. Perianth-segments subequal, 

 withering-persistent, narrowly lanceolate, with reflexed tips, at length involute, without 

 gland and distinct claw. Stamens 6, free, included; anthers reniform, confluently 1-celled. 

 Ovary ovoid, superior; styles 3. Capsule ovoid-oblong, 3-beaked, septicidal to the base, 

 wholly superior. Seeds about 4 in each cell, oblong, winged. [Greek, in allusion to the 

 narrow perianth-segments.] 



A genus of five species, four North American and one Asiatic (Sakhalin Island). Type si)eci:!S, 6. 

 angustifolium (Pursh) Kunth. 



I* 



1. Stenanthium occidentale A. Gray. 

 Western Stenanthitim. Fig. 915. 



Stenanthium occidentale A. Gray, Proc. Am. Acad. 8: 405. 



1872. 

 Stenanthella occidentalis Rvdb. Bull. Torrey Club 27: j31. 



1900. 



Stems slender, erect, 3-6 dm. high, sparingly leafy. 

 Leaves mainly basal, linear to narrowly oblanceolate. 

 15-30 cm. long, 6-20 mm. wide, acute, those on the 

 stem narrower and shorter ; raceme terminal, erect, 

 simple or sometimes compound below ; bracts scari- 

 ous, lanceolate, 6-10 mm. long; pedicels slender, 

 slightly exceeding the bracts; flowers drooping, nar- 

 rowly campanulate, 12-15 mm. long, greenish- or 

 brownish-purple; perianth-segments narrowly lan- 

 ceolate, with recurved tips , capsule erect in fruit, 12- 

 16 mm. long, attenuate into the elongated slender 

 styles ; seeds narrowly oblong, flat and winged, 3-4 

 mm. long. 



Mossy stream banks, Canadian to Arctic Zones; British 

 Columbia and Alberta to Montana and Washington south to 

 Trinity Mountains, California. Type locality: Cascade Moun- 

 tains, Oregon. 



5. ZYGADENUS Michx. Fl. Bor. Am. 1 : 213. 1803. 



Glabrous or obscurely scabrous perennial herbs, with membranous-coated bulbs, leafy 

 stems, and rather large greenish or yellowish white flowers in terminal racemes. Leaves 

 linear^ mainly basal. Flowers perfect or polygamous. Perianth withering-persistent, adnate 

 to the lower part of the ovary or entirely free, its segments bearing 2 or (in ours) a single 

 obcordate or obovate gland. Stamens distinct from the perianth-segments. Capsule 3- 

 celled, the cavities dehiscent to the base. Seeds numerous. [Name Greek, meaning yoke 

 and gland, in reference to the pair of glands in some species.] 



About 18 species, distributed over the cooler parts of North America and northern Asia. Type species, 

 Zygadenits glaberrimns Michx. 



Ovary partly inferior; glands obcordate. 



Ovary wholly superior; glands obovate or semi-orbicular. 



Stamens half as long as the perianth-segments; flowers all perfect. - 



Stamens about equalling or exceeding the perianth-segments; lower flowers stammate. 

 Perianth-segments acute or acuminate; flowers mostly paniculate. 



Stamens shorter than the perianth-segments. f 4,- c-^aitattis. 



Stamens longer than the perianth-segments. 4. Z. pamcvlann. 



Perianth-segments obtuse; flowers normally racemose. 



Fruiting pedicels widely divergent. c 7 • ,1 



Perianth-segments about 4.5 mm. long. ^- ^- 'iiurantnus. 



Perianth-segments about 7 mm. long. 6. Z. brcvibractcatus. 



Fruiting pedicels ascending. - r i j ^u- j -n 



Petals lonpr-clawed and subcordate at base; sepals short-clawed; margin of gland thin and ill- 

 defined '■ ^- ^"termeduts. 

 Petals and sepals both long-clawed; margin of gland thick and well-defined. 



S. Z. veuenosus. 



1. Z. elcgans. 



2. Z. frcmontii. 



