JUXCE.E. ROXBURGIIIACE.'K. ASPARAGEjE. 125 



M. (Pon'tedeuia) PLAXTAGiNFA, Tloxb. (M.). Euroi!!. Iiuliii. S. China. 

 M. (Pon'tedeuia) dilatata, IJuch. (M.). Euruia. 



Pailouk-fiyi. 



M. (PoiNtedeiua) saogitata, lloxb. (il.). Burma. 



The youiig sliDots of P. rtiiioxilia are edihk^, and the wliolc ])kint is used medici- 

 nally, in diseases of the digestive organs, asthma, and toothaclie. 



LILIALES. 

 M'vrci-s hermaphrodite, rarely unisexual, spiked, racemed, panicled or solitary, 

 rarely capitate. Pfriniith of 6 (rarely 4) sub-similar pieces, or monopetalous, aud 

 6-lobed and regular (except Gilliesiva;), usually all coloured and petaloid (coriaceous 

 in Juncew). Emhrjo as in Pimtedendes. 



Order jrXCEJ.. 



Flowers usually hermaplirudite. Perianth inferior, G-])hyllous, gluraaccous, 

 2-scriate. Stamens 6 or rarely 3, inserted at the base of tlie perianth-segments. 

 Ovary superior, 3- or 1-eelled, 1- to many-ovuled. Ondes erect, anatiopous. Capsule 

 1- to 3-celled, loculieidal or septifragal. Seeds albuminous. Einhryo basilar, radicle 

 inferior, stem herbaceous. Leaves alternate, sheathing. 



Annual or perennial herbs, Cffispitose or with a creeping rhizome. Stem 

 cylindrical, spongy, or sometimes chambered by medullary septa. 



Ji'xcus, Linnaus. 

 J. LEscnENAULTir, J. Cir:iy. India. S. China. 



Onler ROXBURGHIACE.E. 



Flowers largo, solitary, axillary, fcetid. Perianth of 4 lanceolate petaloid 

 segments. Stamens 4, hypogynous. Filaments very short. Antliers large, basitixed, 

 2-celIed, longitudinallj- deliiscing, and produced into a long ajipendage. Oea/i/ 

 1 -celled. Sti/le none. 



RoxBUiifiHiA, Pri/aii/ler. 

 31. sp. {fide Dr. Diedrichsen). Kicobars. 



Sir J. Hooker says the tuberous root is candied and eaten in India. 



Order ASPARAGE.E. 



Flowers tisnally h('vma|>lirodite, regular, pedicels joint(>d. Perianth inferior, 

 petaloid, sex-partite and biseriate. Stamens 0. Oeari/ superior, 3-celled. Frait 

 a berry. Seeds with black crustaceous testa. Albumen tleshy. 



Asparagus, Linnecas. 



A. ACERosrs, lloxb. Burma (M.). 



Shit-ma-tet. 



The Orders Asparaeieic, Smilacere and 3felanthaeea; are by some botanists (Kurz 

 e.g ) reduced to tribal rank among the Liliaccie ; but JIaout and Decaisnc separate 

 them as both a more natural and convenient arrangement. Asparai/ea are int< r- 

 mediate between Liliaeetc and Smilaeea, being different iatcd from the former by their 

 berried fruit, and the latter by characters of the testa. Asparagus is a favouiitc 

 vegetable, remarkable for communicating its peculiar smell to the urine, and its roots 

 were once esteemed as ptirgativcs. The roots of Cordi/line, on the other hand, are 

 n.sed us medicine in dysentery, and the plant is cultivated in Burma, cliietly about 

 Khyoungs or llonastcries. The genus Diae<ma yields the true " dragon's blood," but 

 the resin of the Padouk ( I'terocarpus) is not unf rcquently substituted for the real 

 article. 



