CANNACE^. (CANNA FAMILY.) 491 



middle oue (sterile stameu) petal-like. Pollen granular. Stigma thick, tri- 

 angular. — Root fibrous. Leaves large, plaited, sheathing. Flowers large, 

 mostly solitary, leafy-bracted, nodding. 



* Stem lecify : sepals and petals longer than the yellow lip, the latter linear and 



twisted. 



1- C. pubescens, Willd. Pubescent; stem sheathed at tlie base ; leaves 

 4-6, ovate-oblong, acute or acuminate; flowers 1-3; sepals greenish, striped 

 with deeper lines, lanceolate, acuminate, the lower sometimes 2-cleft at the 

 apex; petals linear, spirally twisted; lip large (T- 1^' long), laterally flat- 

 tened, spotted within ; stigma triangular, obtuse. — Rich woods in the upper 

 districts. May -June. — Stem 1°-H° high. Leaves 4' -6' long. Flowers 

 inodorous. 



2. C. parviflorum, Salisb. Very near the preceding, but every way 

 smaller ; lip half as large, depressed above ; stigma triangular, acute ; flowers 

 fragrant. — Rich woods in tlie upper districts. May- June. 



* * Stem leafy : sepals and petals white, flat, obtuse, not longer than the lip. 



3. C. spectabile, Swartz. Pubescent; leaves 6 - 7, oval, acute ; sepals 

 oval or oblong, rather longer than the lanceolate petals; lip (IV lung) much 

 inflated, white tinged with purple, about as long as the sepals. — Mountains of 

 North Carolina. May -June. — Stem 2° high, commonly 2-flowered, Leaves 

 4' -6' long. Flowers very showy. 



* * * Scape naked, l-Jiowered, 2-leaved at the base. 



4. C. acaule, Ait. Pubescent ; leaves oblong, obtuse ; sepals greenish, 

 oblong-lanceolate, acute, nearly as long as the linear petals, much shorter than 

 the large (2' long) obovate purple and veiny lip. — Dry woods in the upper 

 districts. May -June. — Scape 8' - 12' high. Leaves 6' long. 



Order 145. CANNACE^. (Caxxa Familt.) 



Perennial herbs, destitute of aroma, with alternate sheathing leaves, 

 the very numerous nerves parallel, and diverging from the strong mid- 

 rib, and superior irregular monandrous flowers. Sepals 3. Corolla 

 6-parted; the three exterior divisions alike, the three interior ones 

 very unequal, and often variously imperfect. Stamen and stigma 

 mostly petal-like. Anther 1 -celled. Ovary 1 - 3-celled, with 1 to many 

 anatropous or campylotropous ovules. Embryo straight or hooked, in 

 hard albumen. — Rhizoma often tuberous, and abounding in starch. 



1. THALIA, L. 



Calyx minute. Corolla tul)ular ; the three exterior divisions similar and 

 equal; the interior unequal; the anterior one broad and liooded, tlie interior 

 lateral one elongated and clawed, the exterior lateral one furnished with two 

 bristles on one side, and partly adnate to the slender stamen on the other. 



