OP ARTS AND SCIENCES. 223 



appendaged, not black. Inflorescence a simple raceme or panicle ; pedicels 

 solitary, not jointed, with green or greenish or rarely scarious bracts, or naked. 

 Leaves with transverse veinlets, except in Heioniece. 



Exceptions. Anthers introrse in Tqfieldiece; filaments adnate in Mdanthium. 

 Style none or undivided in Narthecium. Capsule loculicidal in Narlhecium and 

 Xerophjllum. Seeds horizontal in Toficldia and Pleea. 



Tribe XIII. Veratreae. Perianth-segments several-nerved, often adnate 

 to the base of the ovary. Anthers cordate or reniform, dehiscent by a con- 

 tinuous slit and peltate after opening: stigmas terminal: capsule membranous, 

 3-beaked by the short persistent styles : seeds with thin loose testa, not caudate 

 or appendaged : stem usually leafy, from a tunicated bulb or thick rootstock : 

 leaves not rigid. 



* Flowers usually polygamous : cells of the usually ovate-oblong capsule 

 not divaricately divergent above, dehiscent to the base : seeds several (4 to 

 many) in each cell, not turgid, oblong to linear, angled, or flattened and 

 margined. 



■t- Inflorescence pubescent, racemose-paniculate, usually staminate below : 

 seeds flat, whitish, mostly broadly margined: stems tall and leafy, from a 

 thick rootstock with fleshy-fibrous roots : leaves linear-oblanceolate to sub- 

 orbicular. 



39. Melanthium. Flowers cream-color or greenish, rotate, shorter 

 than the slender spreading pedicels ; segments orbicular to ob- 

 lanceolate, conspicuously biglandular or glandless, the filaments 

 adnate to the narrow claw ; perianth free from the ovate-oblong 

 capsule. 



40. Veratrum. Flowers cream-color, greenish, or purple, more or 

 less spreading, usually exceeding the short stouter pedicels ; 

 perianth slightly adnate to the ovary ; segments oblanceolate to 

 rhombic-ovate, glandless or rather obscurely glandular. Leaves 

 strongly nerved and more or less plicate. 



-i- ■*- Inflorescence glabrous : flowers perfect or polygamous : seeds linear to 

 narrowly oblong, angled or slightly margined, more or less brown : root bulbous 

 (except in one species of Zygadenus) : leaves linear. 



41. Stenanthium. Flowers white, greenish, or purple, nodding or 

 subsessile in usually paniculate racemes. Perianth adnate to the 

 base of the ovary ; segments lanceolate, acuminate, without 

 glands. Seeds 4 in each cell, angled or somewhat flattened. 



42. Zygadenus. Flowers white or greenish, erect, in paniculate or 

 simple racemes. Perianth often adnate at base ; segments oblong- 

 lanceolate to ovate, mostly glandular and usually somewhat 

 narrowed at base. Seeds angled, rarely at all margined. 



43. Schcenocaulon. Flowers small, mostly green, nearly sessile 

 in a simple many-flowered spike-like raceme (usually sterile 



