562 CLVn. COMMELYNACEiE. Commelyna. 



1. L. CAMPESTRis. Willd. (Juncus, Linn.) Meld Rush. 



Lis. 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, flowering in May. 



2. L. piLosA, Willd. (Juncus. Linn.) Hairy Wood Rush. 



Lvs. pilose ; panicle cymose, spreading ; fis. 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. (Jimcus. Michx.) 



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

 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., Bw. 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. 

 Gr. vap^rj^, a rod or wand ; in allusion to the slender inflorescence. 



Periantli 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. ejisiform. Scape 

 nearly naked. Fls. yellow. 



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

 Lvs. radical, striate, narrow-en siform ; sc^;;^ simple, bracted ; roc. 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. 



Order CLVII. COMMELYNACE^.— Spiderworts. 



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



Perianth in 2 series, the outer (culyx) 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. Sty/e.f and .slii.-f)ias united into one. 



F/-.— 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. Cmnmehjna. 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-linear, with sheaths at base. Fls. en- 

 folded in a condwplicate, persiste?it, spathaccous bract. 



