THE FAMILIES OF FLOWERING PLANTS. 37 



violet. The plant is sometimes, but not often, called by the quite 

 appropriate term "Adder's Tongue," but it might be still better called 

 what it is, namely, an Erythronium. The Lilies of the field and gar- 

 den {Liliuni)^ the old-fashioned Day-lilies {Hemerocallis) and the tall 

 Yuccas are too well-known to need more than a passing comment. I 

 presume that the onion, however, would scarcely be admitted as a true 

 Liliaceous plant except by botanists. Nevertheless it belongs there, 

 and the small flowers, when examined under a lens, are really quite 

 lily-like in appearance. 



The Bunch-flower family {Melanthaccce) is of less interest to the 

 student of popular botany. The flowers are as a rule, not showy, and 

 the withered perianth usually adheres to the ripening capsule instead 

 of falling off like that of the true Lilies, giving the plants a decidedly 

 seedy aspect. The root is not often bulbous, but mainly thick and 

 tuberous; and the leaves are for the most part long and narrow. This 

 family contains no trees or shrubs It includes about 36 genera and 

 150 species, of wide distribution. In our country the majority occur 

 in the South, where the pine-barren bogs form their favorite haunts. 

 Probably the most familiar plants of this family are the wild hellebore 

 {Veratriini) and the bellwort {Uvular ia), the latter, unlike its congen- 

 ers, having pretty, nodding yellow flowers. In our gardens the fall 

 crocus {Colchicinii) is well-known for its peculiar habit of blooming in 

 the fall without any leaves. 



The Convallariaceae, or Lily-of-the-valley family, furnish us again 

 with some beautiful and conspicuous examples. These too are all 

 herbs, and they grow without exception from rootstocks instead of 

 bulbs. The leaves are usually broad and veiny; the perianth is vari- 

 ously shaped and colored. The chief distinctive character is found in 

 the fruit, which is a fleshy berry. A good example of this fruit may 

 be seen on the Solomon's seal {Polygonatuiii) in midsummer. That 

 important succulent vegetable known as Asparagus belongs to this 

 family, and oddly enough the little Smilax with which we decorate our 

 tables and bouquets is also a member of the genus Asparagus In all 

 the species of this genus the true leaves are reduced to little scales, 

 and the leaf-like organs which we perceive in the Smilax are called 

 phyllodia. Thus they are functionally leaves, but structurally branch- 

 lets. The Lily-of-the-valley {Coiivallaria) and the Clintonia, both of 

 which grow wild in the southern Alleghenies, are two exceedingly 

 ornamental members of this family. 



In connection with the Smilax it may be well to point out that the 

 little Smilax so-called, of the florists, the leaf-structure of which we 

 were discussing, is botanically not a Smilax at all, but a Myrsiphyllum. 

 The genus Smilax includes the well-known Cat-brier or Horse-brier, 



