668 Obdzs 131.— ARACEjE. 



GENERA. 



{ Spadix enveloped in a spathe. (*) 



* Flowers covering only the base of the spadix. Perianth Arisama. 1 



* Flowers covering the whole spadix, and (a) 



a Monoecious. Perianth 0. Berry 1-seeded. Spathe convolute Pkltandra. 3 



a Monoecious. Per. 0. Berry 3 to 6-seeded. Spathe large, revolute, whito.KiciiABDiA. 3 



a Perfect.— Perianth 0. Spathe open, white Calla. 4 



—Perianth regular. Spathe shell-form, purplish Simplocarpus. 6 



{ Spadix naked, having no spathe, — terminal, yellow Op.ontium. 6 



— lateral ; scape leaf-like Acorus. 7 



i. ARIS/E'MA, Martins. Dragon-root. Indian Turnip, (apov, 

 arum, c/'ifia, a sign.) Spathe convolute at base, limb arched or some- 

 what plain ; spadix covered with flowers below, naked and elongated 

 above ; flowers diclinous, achlamydeous ; $ above the fertile, each flower 

 consisting of 4 or more stamens with anthers opening at top ; $ ovary 

 1-celled; stigmas depressed; ovules 2 to 6, orthotropous, erect from tho 

 base of tho cell; berry red, 1 or few-seeded. — 21 Scape arising from a 

 a corm or tuberous rhizome, sheathed with petioles of the radical, 

 veiny lvs. (Arum, L.) 



1 A. triply Hum L. Jack-in-the-pulpit. A caulescent ; lvs. trifoliate, mostly 

 in pairs, leaflets oval, acuminate; spadix clavate, obtuse; spathe ovate, acuminate, 

 flat and inflected above. — A curious and well known inhabitant of wet woodlands, 

 Can. to Ga. W. to the Miss. The stem i3 a rugous, fleshy, subterraneous corm 

 giving off radicles in a circle from tho edge. Scape 8 — 12' high, erect, round, 

 embraced at tho base by tho long sheaths of tho petioles. Leaflets, 2 — T long, 

 1 as wide. Spathe green without, usually variegated within with stripes of dark 

 purple alternating with pale green. Spadix much shorter than the spathe, vary- 

 ing from green to dark purple. Fruit a bunch of bright scarlet berries. Tho 

 corm loses its fiercely acrid principle by drying, and is then valued a3 a carmina- 

 tive, &c. Apr., Jn. (Arum, atrorubens Ait.) 



2 A. quinatum. Acaulescent ; lvs. with very long shoaths, in pairs one or both 

 quinate ; lfts. oval-lanceolate, acuminate, narrowed at base to a short ]ietioio or 

 sessile ; spadix long and slender, nearly inclosed in tho ovate-lanceolate spathe, 

 which i3 briefly inflected at tho pointed apex ; berry 1 to 2-seeded. — Ga. and S. 

 Car. (Curtis.) Scape 1 to 2f high. Lvs. with long petioles and still longer sheaths. 

 Lfts. 5 to 10' long, spathe 3 to 5' (Arum quinatum Kutt.) — Perhap3 identical with 

 A. pentaphyllum (Schott.) of India. 



(3. obtuso-quinatum. Lfts. rounded-obtuse, mucronate, abruptly narrowed to 

 a long petiolule. — Georgia (Feay, Pond). 



3 A. Dracontium Schott. Green Dragon. Acaulescent ; If. mostly solitary, 

 pedate; lfts. 7 to 11, oblong-lanceolate; spadix subulate, longer than tho convo- 

 luto, oblong spathe. — Less common in N. Eng. than the former species, found in 

 wet places, banks of streams, U. S. Stem a fleshy, subterraneous corm. Scapo 

 slender, 10' to 2f high. Leaf on an erect, sheathing petiole, which is dichotomous 

 above, each half bearing 2 — 4 leaflets with an odd one at the fork. Leaflets 5 to 

 8' long, one-third as wide. Spathe green, 1 — 2' long, rolled into a tube at base. 

 Spadix slender, with its long, tapering point much oxserted. Fruit a bunch of 

 red berries. Jn., Jl. (Arum Dracontium L.) 



2. PELT'ANDRA, Raf. (Gr. n&n?, a shield or target, dvdpeg.) 

 Spathe convolute ; spadix covered with flowers, staminate above, pistil- 

 late below; perianth 0; anthers 8 to 12, attached to the margin of a 

 peltate, oblong, conncctile, and opening by a terminal pore; berry 1- 

 celled, 1 to 3-seeded. — 21 Fit. fibrous. Lvs. sagittate. 

 1 p. Virginica Raf. Acaulescent ; lvs. oblong, hastate-sagittato, acuto at apex, 

 tho lobes obtuse ; spatlie elongated, incurved, green, wavy on the margin ; spadix 

 covered with staminate flowers tho greater part of its length. — A smooth, dark 

 groon plant, in wet grounds, N. Y. and Ma to Car. Leaves radical, numerous, 



