538 CXLVil. AMAHYLLIDACE^E. Amaryllis. 



by o— 3', veiued, alternate, clasping, pubescent. Flower mostly solitary. Seg- 

 ments 4, i^reenish, with purple stripes and spots, the lower one bifid, composed 

 of 2 united sepals, the two lateral ones 2—3' by i', waved and twisted. Lip a 

 large, inflated sac, bright yellow, spotted inside, with a roundish aperture 

 above. May, June. 



/?, fubescens. Leaves lanceolate; lobe of the column obtuse. The flowers 

 somewhat smaller, Meriden, N. H. 



4. C. sPECTABiLE. Sw. Shoitnj Ladies^ -slipper. 



St. leafy ; Ivs. ovate-lanceolate, acuminate ; lobe of the column elliptic- 

 cordate, obtuse ; scp. broad-ovate, obtuse ; lip longer than the petals, cleft before. 

 —A tall, superb species, found in swamps. Can. to Ky. and Car. Stem thick, 

 2 feet or more high, hairy. Leaves 6—10' by 2—4', veined, plaited, hairy. 

 Flowers 2—3 on each plant, very large. Lip white, striped with purple, 2' 

 long, l\ broad; upper segment largest, lower one smaller, composed of 2 sepals 

 completely united, July, 



5. C. ARiETiNUM. Ait, (Arietinum Americanum, Beck.) Ram's-liead. 

 St. leafy ; Ivs. elliptical, striate-veined ; sep. 3, distinct (the 2 lower not 



united), linear-lanceolate, the upper oblong-ovate, acuminate; 2 lateral pet. 

 linear; lip as long as the petal, saccate, obconic. — In damp woods, Qan., 

 Maine, Vt. Stems usually clustered, flexuous, 8—12' high, lower part sheath- 

 ed. Leaves 3—5, 2—3' by ^—1', sessile, amplexicaul. Flower mostly solitary, 

 with a leafy bract at base. Segments about equal in length, the upper one as 

 broad as the other 4 together. "The singular form of the lip readily suggests 

 the name of this curious plant. May, 



Order CXLVII, AMARYLLIDACE^.— Amaryllids. 



Herhs, perennial. Leaves parallel- veined. , . , ^ . 



Fls. showy, almost always either yellow or white, otten on scapes and with spathaeeous bracts. 



Perianth mostly regular, adherent to the ovary, colored, consisting of 3 sepals and 3 petals. 



Sta. 6, arising from the perianth segments. Anthers introrse. 



Ova. 3-celled, the cells many-ovuled (sometimes l— 2-ovu!ed). Style 1. Stig. 3-lobed. 



¥r. a 3-celled capsule or berry. Seeds with fleshy albumen. 



Genera 6S, species 400, chiefly tropical plants, most abundant in Brazil and S. Africa. Very few are 

 found in our climate. 



Properties.— A few of the Amarj'llidaceaj possess poisonous properties, which is very rare among the 

 Endogens. The Hottentots are said to poison their arrows by dipping them in the viscid juice ot the 

 bulbs of Ha'manthus toxicarius. The bulbs of Narcissus poeticus, and other species, are emetic. The 

 fermented juice of the Agave forms the intoxicating pulque o( the Mexicans. Many are highly orna- 

 mental, and are therefore cultivated. 



Conspectus of the Genera. 



^ Scape tall, with numerous flowers. Agave. 4 



( Corona 0. I Scape bearing 3—5 small, yellow flowers Hypoxis. 5 



< Corona of 3 emarsinate segments Gatanthus. 3 



Flowers regular. ( Corona monophyllous. Narcissus 2 



Flowers irregular. Stamens declined Amaryllis. 1 



1, AMARYLLIS. 



Lat. Amaryllis, the name of a nymph, from aixapvaaoi, to shine with splendor. 



Perianth irregular, funnel-shaped, nodding ; filaments declined, 

 arising from the orifice, unequal in proportion or direction ; seeds 

 flat, numerous. — A splendid ge?ms, tvith a few native and many 

 foreign species. 



1. A. Atamasco. Atamasco Lily. 



Spathe 2-cleft, acute ; fl. pedicelled ; cor. campanulate, with nearly equal 

 petals, suberect.— A pretty species found in Penn., south to Carolina, sometimes 

 cultivated. Leaves linear, a foot long. Scape round, C high. Spathe a little 

 colored, bifid at the summit. Flower large, solitary, v.-hite and pink. Sepals 

 acuminate. June. 



2. A. FORMOsissiMA. Jacohca Lily.—Lxs. radical ; fs. nodding, very ringont, 

 tube fringed; sta. included in the involute lower segments. — A splendid flower, 

 I'rom Mexico, often grown with us in large pots of light, loamy soil. Root 

 bulbous. Leaves thick, oblong, narrow. Scape a foot high. Spathe red, dis* 

 closing a single large flower of a fine dark red color. Jn. — Aug. 



