206 POPULAR FLORA. 



92. CAT-TAIL FAMILY. Order TYniACEiE. 

 Mai-sh herbs, with Hnear, sword-shaped leaves (erect, except they float in water), and 

 monoecious naked flowers in dense spikes or heads, one sort consisting of some stamens 

 only, the other of pistils only. Fruit a one-seeded akene. No spathe, except some open 

 bracts or leaves. 



Flowers in one long spike or spadix, the upper part bearing stamens only, the lower slen- 

 der pistils only closely packed together; ovary long-stalked and surrounded 

 by slender down, ( Typha) Cat-tail. 



Flowers in separate heads, some bearing stamens only, others pistils only, each sur- 

 rounded by several scales, but no down, {Sparganiusa) Buk-Reed. 



EI. Peti^loldcoiss Division. 



93. WATER-PLANTAIN FAMILY. Order ALISMACE.E. 

 Marsh or aquatic herbs, with a distinct calyx of 3 green or greenish sepals and a corolla 

 of 3 white petals, 6 to many stamens on the receptacle, and many one-ovuled pistils 

 collected into a ring or head, becoming akenes in fruit. Leaves mostly oblong-heart-shaped, 

 lance-shaped, or arrow-shaped, sometimes with cross veinlets, long-petioled. Flowers on 

 scapes. Two genera are common. 



Flowers perfect with about 6 stamens, small, in an open panicle: pistils 15 to 20 in a ring: 



leaves not arrow-shaped, (Alismn) Water-Plaxtain. 



Flowers monoecious or dioecious, in a loose raceme or spike; the sterile ones with many 

 stamens; the fertile with many pistils in a head, making thin winged akenes. 

 Leaves or some of them generally arrow-shaped, (Saffittaria) Arkowheap. 



94. TRILLIUM FAMILY. Order TRILLIACEiE. 

 Herbs with simple stems rising from a short rootstock, rather conspicuously netted- 

 veined leaves in a whorl, and perfect and regular flowers : — containing in this country 

 only the genus Trillium and the Indian Cucumber-root, which are here described. 



Trillium.* Trillium. 

 Stem bearing at the summit a whorl of 3 broad leaves and one rather large flower. Calyx of 

 3 green spreading sepals. Corolla of 3 spreading petals. Stamens 6, with short filaments and long 

 erect anthers turned inwards, inserted on the receptacle. Pistil one, 3-celled, commonly with 3 to 6 

 lobes or ridge?, and making a purple many-seeded berry in fruit: styles or long sessile stigmas 3, 

 spreading. — They all grow in rich woods, and blossom in spring or early summer, 



1. Sessile FLOWERED T. Flower and the ovate leaves both sessile; petals rather erect, dark dull 



purple or greenish. W. & S. T. sessile. 



2. Eecurved T. Leaves narrowed at the base into a footstalk; sepals turned down; petals nar- 



rowed at both ends ; otherwise like No. 1. W. T. recurvalum. 



* Also called Birtiiroot, Wake-Robix, and Three-leaved Nightshade. 



