50^ CLVII. COMMELYNACEtE. Commelyna. 



1. L. CAMPESTRis. Willd. (Junous. Linn.) Meld Bush. 



Lvs. hairy ; spikes terminal, with or without peduncles ; Ifts. of the perianth 

 .anceolate, acuminate, awned, longer than the obtuse capsule. — In meadows, 

 U. S. and Can. Stem simple, straight, 3 — 12' high, according to the moisture. 

 Leaves grass-like, 2 — 6' long, very hairy at the margins. Heads in a sort of 

 umbel, with an involucre of 2 or 3 short, unequal leaves. Perianth dark brown. 

 An early species, Howering in May. 



2. L. piLosA. Willd. (Juncus. Linn.') Hairy Wood Hush. 



Lvs. pilose ; panicle cymose, spreading ; Jls. solitary ; caps, obtuse. — Com- 

 mon in woods and groves. Free States. Stem 4 — 10' high. Radical leaves 

 numerous, 2 — 4' long, linear-lanceolate, veined, fringed with, long, white hairs. 

 Panicle 8— 12-flowered, with a leafy bract. Pedicels 5 — 10" long, finally de- 

 flexed. Perianth brown, with 2 green bracteoles. May. 



3. L. MELANOCARPA. Dcsv. (Juucus. Michx.) 



St. elongated ; lvs. sublanceolate, glabrous ; corymb decompound ; ped. 

 elongated, the branches with 3 — 5 pedicellate flowers ; sep. ovate, acuminate, 

 longer than the oval-triangular, obtuse-mucronate capsule. — Native of the 

 White Hills, N. H., i?^. Stem 12— 18' high. Radical leaves 8— 10' by 3— 5", 

 those of the stem much shorter, all very smooth. Panicle large, nodding, many- 

 flowered. Capsule black. June. 



4. L. spicATA. DC. (Juncus. Willd.) 



Lvs. linear, hairy at the base ; spike cernuous, compound ; sep. acuminate- 

 awned, about equal in length to the subglobose capsule. — White Hills, N. H., 

 Boott. Stem 8—10' high, slender, simple. Leaves 2 — 3' long, a line wide, 

 smooth except at the base. Spike an inch long. Aug. 



3. NARTHECIUM. Moehr. 

 CrT. vap^ni, a rod or wand ; in allusion to the slender inflorescence. 



Perianth 6-parted, colored, spreading, persistent ; stam. 6 ; fila- 

 ments hairy ; caps, prismatic, 3-celled ; seeds 00, ovate-oblong, appen- 

 daged at each extremity. — % Root fibrous. Lvs. e?isiform. Scape 

 nearly naked. Fls. yelloio. 



N. Americanum. Ker. (Phalangium ossifragum. Muhl.) 

 Lvs. radical, striate, narrow-en sitbrm ; scape simple, bracted ; rac. lax, in- 

 terrupted; pedicels with a bract at base, and a setaceous bracteole near the 

 flower. — An interesting little plant, in pine barrens and sandy swamps, Middle 

 States. Scapes 10 — 15' high, terete, with 2 or 3 subulate bracts. Leaves nume- 

 rous, much shorter than the scape. Pedicels 3 — 7" long. Perianth greenish 

 externally, yellow within, about half as long as the yellowish, mature capsule. 

 Aug. 



Ordkr CLVII. COMMELYNACE^.— Spiderworts. 



Herbs with flat, narrow leaves which are usuallj' sheathing at base. 



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



Sta. 6, some of them usually deformed or abortive, hypogynous. 



Ova. 2 — 3-celled, cells few-ovuled. Styles and stigmas united into one. 



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



Seeds few, with dense, fleshy albumen. Embryo opposite the hilum. 



Genera 16, species 260, chiefly natives of the Indies, Australasia and Africa, -a few of N. America. 

 They are of little importance to man. 



Genera. 

 <3or 4 of them sterile. Commelyna. l 

 Stamens 6, ( all perfect. . . Tradescantia. 2 



1. COMMELYNA. Dill. 



In honor of the brothers Commelyn.two German botanists. 



Sepals herbaceous; petals colored; stam. 6, 3 — 4 of them sterile 

 and furnished with cruciform glands ; caps. 3-celled, 3-valved, one of 

 the valves abortive. — Lvs. lance-lmcar, with sheaths at base. Fls. en- 

 folded in a conduplicate, persistent, spathaceous brad. 



