524 (OMMKLYXAC'E.i:. (si'l DKKWc »UT KA.MII.V.) 



• Flutnrs I'l iliiiirlid : lohts of the perianth une(iHiil : anthers oj 2 J'ornis : capsule 

 iiii/" I fictli/ '.l-ecHcd : leaves oUlontj or renijhriii, lonij-pi-tiuled. 



1. H. reniformis, K. & 1*. Leaves roniform; sjKillies 3 - S-llowered ; 

 pciiantii wliilf. — North Caroliua and 'reuiiessfc. August. 



2. H. limosa, \'alil. Li-avesuliloug; spatlius l-ttuworeil ; i)criaiith blue. 

 — Tennessee, ami iKiriliwai'l. August. 



» * Flowers sessile : lobes of the perianth nearli/ ei/ital : anthers alike, sagittate : 

 ca]>siile l-celled : ai/uatic : leaves linear, sessile. 



3. H. graminea, \'alil. Stem long (l°-3°J and slender; spathe 1 -flow- 

 ered ; peiiaiitli vcUdw. (Sclinllcra, Srhreb.) — Pouds and lakes, Florida, near 

 tlie coast, and uortliward. July - August. 



Ordek 157. COMMELYNACEyE. (Si-ideuwokt Family.) 



Herbs, with chiefly fibrous roots, jointed and leafy steins, and perfect 

 or somewhat polygamous often irregular flowers. — Perianth of three 

 herbaceous or colored persistent sepals, and three fugacious petals. 

 Stamens 6, hypogynous, perfect, or a part of them sterile : anthers 2- 

 celled, often of two forms. Styles single : stigma entire. Ovary free 

 from the perianth, 2- 3-celled, with 1- several orthotropous ovules in 

 each cell. Capsule loculicidally 2-3-vah'ed, 1 - several-seeded. Em- 

 bryo pulley-shaped, placed in a cavity of the albumen opposite the hi- 

 lum. — Plants somewhat succulent. Stems often branching. Sheaths 

 of the leaves entire or open. 



1. COMMELYNA, Dill. Day-flowkr. 



Flowers irregular. Sepals juostly colored. Petals fugacious, two of them 

 kidney-sliaped and long-clawed, the other smaller. Stamens unequal, three 

 of them fertile, the others with 4dobed sterile anthers; filaments beardless. 

 Capsule 1 -3-celled, the cells 1 -2-seeded, or one of them frequently empty. — 

 Stems branching. Leaves flat, oblung, or lanceolate, on sheathing petioles; 

 the floral ones cordate and sp.athe-like, folded, and enclosing the few-flowered 

 peduncle. Flowers blue. 



1- C. nudiflora, L. Stem smooth, filiform, and creei>ing; leaves .short 

 (I'-S' long), ovate-lanceolate, obtuse; sheaths fringed at the throat; spathes 

 nearly crescent-shaped, obtuse at the base, lateral and terminal : peduncles by 

 pairs; one of them bearing 3-4 small fertile flowers included in the spathe; 

 the other long-exscrted, filiform, l-flowered; odd petal ovate, sessile ; seeds 

 reticulated. — Low grounds, P"lorida to North Carolina. July - Sept. (T) 1 

 — Stem l°-2°loiig. 



2. C. Virginica, L. Pubescent ; stem erect ; sheaths hairy ; leaves 

 (4'-6' long) olilong-lanceolate, acununate, thin, rough above; spathe (when 

 opened) round ovate, contracted at the base ; sterile pedun<de included ; petals 

 large, the odd one lanceolate ; capsule 2 - 3-seeded . (C. erecta, Ell. ) — Varies 

 (C. augu.stifolia, Michx.) with the stems smooth, ascending; leaves narrowly 



