188 



COMMELYNACEyE. 



[Endogens. 



Okdek LVl. COMMELYNACE^.— Spidkhwokts. 



Ephemereae, Batsch. Tab. Affin. 125. (1802) in part.— Commelyneas, R. Brown Prodr. 268. (1810) ; 

 Rkhard in Humb. Bonp'l. N. Gen. 1. 258. (1815) ; Agardh Aph. 168. (1823) ; Kunth. Enum. 4. 34. 

 — Commelynaceae, Ed. prior. Endl. Gen. xlviii,; Meisner, Ge«eraBp.406.— Flagellariese, Endl. Gen. 

 p. 131. 



Diagnosis. — Xyridal Endogens, with 3 sepals opposite the carpels, 3 petals, 6 (or 3) stamens, 

 axile placenta, and a trochlear embryo half immersed in fleshy albumen. 



Herbaceous plants. Leaves flat, narrow, usually sheathing at the base. Sepals 3j 

 distmct from the petals, herbaceous. Petals coloured, sometimes cohering at the base. 

 Stamens 6, or a smaller number, hypogynous, some of them either deformed or abortive ; 

 anthers 2-celled, turned inwards. Ovary 3-celled, with few-seeded cells ; style 1 ; stig- 

 ma 1 . Capsule 2- or 3-ceiied, 2- or 3-valved, the valves bearing the dissepiments in the 

 middle. Seeds often twin, inserted by theu' whole side on the imier angle of the cell, 

 whence the hilum is luiear, with a papilla covermg over the embryo ; embryo pulley- 

 shaped, antitropal, lying half-bm-ied in a cavity of the albumen remote from the hilum ; 

 albumen densely fleshy. 



The Spiderworts are plants which exhibit a transition from the first remove out of 

 the regions of sedge-hke plants to the true Lilies. In other words, while Xyrids are 

 glumaceous herbs with their perfectly-formed 

 petals, there are XjTids mth the glumaceous 

 structm'e gone, and the Lihaceous pecuharities 

 gained : all but the long axil embryo and the 

 petaliue condition of the calyx. Bro\\Ti com- 

 pares them with Rushes, obserAang that they 

 are very diff'erent both in habit and structure ; 

 agreeing better with Restiacese in the situation 

 of the embryo and the sheathing leaves, although 

 other^^•ise quite distinct ; they have scarcely any 

 affinity -snth Palms, except in the trochlear 

 embryo, remote from the hilum, and indicated 

 in both Orders by an external papilla. The 

 Spiderworts may also be compared with Ahs- 

 mads, which are equally tripetaloideous, and 

 with Mayacs, which have 1 -celled anthers, a 

 wholly cellular structm-e, and, as they say, the 

 carpels opposite the petals. 



Chiefly found in the East and West Indies, 

 New Holland, and Africa. A few occur in 

 North America, but none in Northern Asia or 

 Europe. 



Concernrng: their uses there is Uttle to relate. 



Fig. CXXIX. 



The fleshy rhizomes of Commelyna 

 ccelestis, tuberosa, angustifoha and striata, contain a good deal of starch mixed with mu- 

 cilage, and are therefore fit for food when cooked. The Chinese employ those of C. 

 medica in cough, asthma, plem'isy, strangury, and dysm-y. Tradescantia dim-etica has 

 a similar application in Brazil. A decoction of Cyanotis axillaris is dnink m the East 

 Indies in cases of tympanis, and Tradescantia Malabarica is admmistered m the same 

 coimtry, boiled in oil, as a remedy for itch and leprosy. IMurdannia scapiflora is said 

 by Dr. Royle " to have some repute in Hindoo Materia Medica." Commelyna Rumphii 

 is held in India to be emmenagogue. The leaves of FlageUaria indica are said to be. 

 astrmgent and vulnerary. 



GENERA. 



Commelyna, Dlllen. 



Hedivigia, Medik. 



Lechea, Lour. 



Aminthopus, Raf. 

 AneUema, R. Br. 



Aphilax, Salisb. 



Palisota, Reichenb. 

 PoUia, Thmib. 



Aclisia, E. Mey. 



Lamprocarpus, Blum. 

 Callisia, Loffl. 



Hapalanthus, Jacq. 

 Murdaimia, Royle. 



Tinnantia , Scheidiv. 

 Tradescantia, Linn. 



Ephemerum, Tournef. 

 Spironerca. Lindl. 

 Cyanotis, Don. 



Zygomenes, Salisb. 

 Lampra, Benth. 



Campelia, Rich. 



Zanonia, Plum. 

 Dichorisandra, Mik. 

 Cartonema, R. Br. 

 Forrestia, A. Rich. 

 FlageUaria, L. 



Position. 



Numbers. Gen. 16.— Sp. 260. 

 L'diacecB. 



-COMMELYNACE.E. — XyridacccG. 

 Bromeliacece. 



Fig. CXXIX.— Aneilema crispatumj 1. a flower; 2. the calyx and pistil ; 3. the capsule; 4, 5. seeds j 

 6. a section of ditto showing the embryo ; 7. the papilla ; 8. the embryo. Ered. Bauer. 



