SUBDIVISION SECOND, 

 ENDOGENS, OR MONOCOTYLEDONOUS PLANTS. 



Stem not distinguishable into bark, pith and concentric zones or 

 layers of wood. Growth by irregular, internal accretions, con- 

 sisting of bundles of woody fibre and vessels, successively descending 

 from the leaves above, through the cellular tissue already formed. 

 Leaves mostly with simple, parallel veins, alternate, entire, fre- 

 quently sheathing at base, and seldom falling off by an articulation. 

 Sepals and petals, when present, commonly in 3s. Ovules 

 produced within an ovary. Embryo with one cotyledon, rarely 

 with two, the second being much smaller than, and alternate with, 



the first. 



CLASS in. AGLUMACEOUS ENDOGENS. 



Flowers without glumes. Organs developed on the usual and 



normal plan, consisting of stamens and pistils, either or both, sur- 



reunded by verticiilate, floral envelops; or the latter are wanting, 



and the stamens and pistils are achlamydeous. 



ORDER CXXXVI. ARACE^. The .Imm Tribt. 



FZs.— Mostly mor.fficious and achlamydeous, arranged upon a naked or spathaceous spadix. 



Perianth, when present, consisting of l— 6 parts. 



S/a.— Definite or indefinite, hypogynous, very short. Anth. ovate, extrorse. 



Ova. — Free, 1 — several-celled. Stigma sessile. 



fc— Berry succulent or dry. Se.eds solitary or several, with fleshy albumen. 



Herbs, or tropical shrubs. Riiizoma or cormus fleshy. Leaves sheathing at ba.se, often 

 with branching veins, and sometimes compound. They are abundant in tropical regions, 

 more rare in temperate, one only, Calla palustris, extending to the northern Irigid zune. 



Properties. An aciid, volatile principle pervades the order, which is, in some instances, 

 eo concentrated as to become poisonous. The corms and rhizonias abound also in starch, 

 which in some cases, when the volatile acridity is expelled in drying or cooking, is edible 

 ftud nutritious. 



Conspcclvs of the genera. 



( Berry 1-seeded. Pellandra. 2 



(and covered ( cylindric. j IJer. many-seed'd. Calla. 3 



( Spadix in \ with flowers, | oval, precedijig the leaves. tjy/iiplocarpui. 6 



< a spathe, ( and naked above. Stem a conn. . . Arum. 1 



r broad. ( Spadix naked, yellow, on a clavate scape. . . Orontium. 4 



Leaves ( linear-eiisiform. Scape leaf-like. Spadix lateral. . . . Acorus. 5 



