XTRIUACE^. 



404 TRADESCANTIA. 



ture. Leaves grass-like, 2 — 6 inches long, very hairy at the margins. Heada 

 in a sort of umbel, with an involucre ot 2 or 3 short, unequal leaves. Perianth 

 dark brown. An early species, flowering in May. Field Rush. 



2. L. PILO'SA. JVilld. Juncus pilosus. L. 

 Leaves pilose ; panicle cymose, spreading ; floicers solitary ; capsules obtuse. 



Common in woods and groves. Stem 4—10 inches high. Radical leaves 

 numerous, 2 — 4 inches long, linear-lanceolate, ribbed, fringed with long white 

 hairs. Panicle S — 12-flower(d, with a leafy bract. Pedicels about ^ inch 

 long, finally deflexed. Perianth brown, with 2 green bracteoles. May. 



Hairy Wood-rush. 



3. L. MELANOCA'RPA. Dcsv. Juncus melanocarpus. Mx. 

 Stem clonorated; /caties sublanceolate, glabrous; corymb decompound; 



peduncles elongated, the branches with 3- -b pedicellate flowers ; sepals ovate, 

 acuminate, longer than the oval-triangular, obtuse-mucronale capsule. Native 

 of the Wiiite Hills, N. li. Bw. Stem 12— 18 inches high. Radical leaves 

 g — 10 inciies long, 3 — 5 lines wide ; those of the stem much shorter, all very 

 smooth. Panicle large, nodding, many-flowered. Capsule black. June. 



4. L. SPICA'TA. Dc. Juncus spicatus. fVilld. 

 Leaves linear, hairy at the base ; spil;e cernuous, compound ; stpols acumi- 



nate-awned, about equal in length to tlie subglobose capsule. White Hills, 

 N. H. Bootl. Stem b — 10 indies high, slender, simple. Leaves 2 — 3 inches 

 long, a line wide, smooth except at the base. Spike an inch long. Aug. 



ORDER CLVil. COMMELYN.\CE^. The Spider-won Tribe. 



Perianth in 2 series, the outer (calyx) nf.3 herbaceous sepals, the inner (corolla) of 3 colored 

 Sta.—Q, some ofthem usually delbrined or abortive, hypo<r>;ii'ius. [petals. 



Oua.— 2— 3-celle(l, cells few-'ovuled. Styles and stigmas united into one. 

 Pt. — Capsule 2 — 3-ceUed, 2— 3-valved ; cells often but 2-seeded, with loculicidal dehiscence. 

 See<Js few, with dense, fleshy albumen. Embryo opposite the hilum. 

 Herbs with sheathing leaves, often gramineous. Of little importance. 



TRADESCA'NTIA. 



Sepals persistent; petals lari^e, suborbicular, spreading; 

 filaments clothed with jointed liairs; anthers reniform- 



Named in honor of Jchn Tradescant, gardener to Charles L 



T. ViRGI'NICA. — Erect, branching; /«a?5fs lanceolate, elongated, gla- 

 brous. Flowers in a clustered umbel, tertninal. Native of Virginia. Leaves 

 numerous, 1 — 1^ feet long, tapering from base to point, smooth. Stem thick, 

 round, jointed, with a leaf at each joint, and two at ihe base of the umbel. 

 Flowers large, of a deep blue color, soon fading. When wounded, the plant 

 exudes a viscid juice which spins into thread ; hence the common name. 

 May — Aug. Spidcr-ivort. 



ORDER CLVIIl. XYRIDACE^. 



Perianth G-parlcd, in 2 series, sepals 3. Rlnmnccous, petals 3, unguiculate. 



Sla. — G, 3 of ihem with extrorse anthers and inserted on the claw of the petals, the other 3 



Ova — Single. Style Wifid. iS^(gi?7a'! obtuse, lobed. [abortive lilaiiieiitB. 



Pr. — Capsule 3-valved, 1-celledwith parietal placenta;, or 3-celletl. 



Seeds numerous, albuminous. 



Rush-like herbs, with linear or ensiform, radical leaves. Flowers capitate, at the top of 

 a simple scape. Of no known use. 



