MONOCOTYLEDONS. 43 



flowers bright blue, segments cuneate, slightly pubescent without ; 

 capsule globose, seeds black, pitted. April^June. Grassy meadows 

 and dry soil. 



2. S. Atlanticum Bickn. Eastern Blue-eyed Grass. Tufted, 

 stems slender, sharply 2-edged, weak and often decumbent, finally 

 few-branched, G-18 in. high ; leaves pale, glaucous, much shorter 

 than the stem ; bracts nearly equal, often somewdiat scarious and 

 purple-tinged ; flowers bright blue, perianth minutely pubescent 

 without, pedicels erect, about as long as the bracts ; capsule ovoid, 

 seeds ovoid, dull black, smooth or minutely pitted. April-June. On 

 moist, sandy soil. 



19. ORCHIDACEiE. ORCHIS FAMILY. 



Perennial herbs, roots bulbous, tuberous, corm-like, or 

 fibrous ; stems sim[)le, leafy, or soa])ose ; leaves simi)le, 

 mostly alteriuite, sheathing, entire, smooth, or rarely pubes- 

 cent, those on the stem often small and bract-like ; flowers 

 solitary, spiked or racemed, usually showy, perfect, very 

 irregular; perianth G-parted, segments united below and 

 coherent wdth the ovary, the 3 outer divisions sepal-like and 

 similar ; two of the inner segments similar, the third, which 

 is structurally the posterior segment, though often becoming 

 anterior by the twisting of the ovary, very variable in form, 

 sometimes forming a large pouch, often dilated and fringed, 

 and usually forming a knob, or even a long and slender s})ur 

 near the base ; stamens 3, rarely 2, united with the style to 

 form an irregular column, only one or two of them jinther- 

 bearing; anthers 2-celled, i)ollen grains eoliering in 2 S waxy 

 or powdery masses (pollinia) attaclied to a viscid gland at the 

 base ; ovary usually (dongated, l-c(dled, witli '>-i)arietal i)la- 

 centie ; fruit a .3-valved, many-seeded, dehiscent capsule, seeds 

 minute, covered witli a loose, nu'mbranous coat. 



[Most of till' si)0('ics flower late in tlie season, and tlicii- cla.«;silication 

 is based prinrii)ally on the nuniber and character of the antlii'is and 

 poUinia.J 



