FAMILIES OF FLOWERING PLANTS. 



55 



Family Haemodoraceae. Bloodwort Family. A small group 

 consisting of 9 genera and 35 species, all tropical except the redroot, 

 Gyrotheca capitata, a plant of the southern pine barrens. They are 

 erect herbs with roots yielding a red juice, and small clustered flowers, 

 the perianth 6-parted. The fruit is capsular. These plants possess 

 interest only for the botanist, and aside from the coloring matter 

 sometimes derived from their roots, they have no economic or orna- 

 mental value. 



Family Amayllidaceae. Amaryllis Family. A large group of 

 mostly herbaceous and usually extremely showy-flowering plants, 

 many representative genera of which are well known in garden cul- 

 tivation. There are about 70 genera and 800 species, widely dis- 

 tributed in warm regions. The plants are, as stated, usually herba- 

 ceous, but Agave and related genera have woody or even arborescent 

 trunks. The flowers are nearly regular, the perianth divisions similar 

 and colored alike; the stamens are 6; the ovar}^ is 3-celled, and either 

 wholly or partly inferior. The root is often bulbous. Only about 

 half a dozen genera occur in the United States, and these are repre- 

 sented by very few species; among them is the little yellow star grass 



(yllypoxiH) and the beautiful 

 Atamasco lily [Atmnosco) of 

 Virginia and southward. 

 A mono; familiar garden 

 Amaryllids is Narcissus, 

 with innumerable horticul- 

 tural varieties; the snow- 

 drop ( Galan th >is n Ivalis) 

 the snowflake {T^iiic(>j>')n ver- 

 num) and various species of 

 ILijypi'astrum , ^S"^; /• c I' c / i a-i 

 YaJIota, AmaryJJ/s and At- 

 a/nosco, all of which are sold 

 under the composite name 

 of Amaryllis. The well- 

 known century plant illus- 

 trates the genus Agave, 

 which is very abundantly 



Fig. 47.— Young centur.y plants (Agare xixalana) <- j 4-1 1 + IVI 



developing on the flowering stalk of the parent. Af- represented turOUgllOUt Mex- 

 ter Dodge, Kept. No. 9, U. S. Dept. of Agric. J^q_ J^ jg ^q^^ of cOUrSC, 



