Obdbr 139.— MARANTACE^E. 691 



formed to a fountain.) Perianth somewhat ringent ', sepals and petals 

 cohering at the base ; lip spurless, adnate to the column at base, de- 

 flected at the end, and bearded inside ; pollinia 4, angular. — St. low, 

 sheathed, 1-flowered, arising from a conn or bulb imbedded in moss, 

 A. bulbdsa L. This beautiful and interesting plant is found in wet meadows and 

 swamps, Can. to Va. "W. to Wis. Stem 6 — 12 high, invested with about 3 long, 

 loose shcatlis, with lanceolate points, the upper ones rarely at length produced 

 into a short linear-spatulate leaf. At the top is a single, large, fragrant flower of 

 a rich purple- color. At the base of the flower is a small spathe of 2 unequal 

 bracts. June. 



19. EPIDEN'DRUM, Swartz. Tree Orchis. (Gr. e-t, upon, Sev- 

 dpov, a tree.) Sepals and petals spreading; lip united with tho col- 

 umn and forming a tube which is sometimes decurrent on thj ovary ; 

 anther terminal, opercular; pollinia 4, separated by complete, persistent 

 partitions, and each narrowed at base into a reflcxed, elastic pedicel. 

 — Epiphytic plants, vegetating in air and the scanty soil lodged in the 

 bark of trees. Sts. few-leaved at base, naked and many-flowered above. 



E. concpseum H. K. Sts. tufted, 2-leaved simple; lvs. coriaceous, oblong-lan- 

 ceolate, acute or mucronate, sessile; Ms. 3 to 7, spicate, erect, yellow; lip 3-lobed, 

 middle lobo obcordate, spreading as well as the narrow-linear, obtusj petals. — 

 Chiefly on the Magnolia grandirlora, in damp woods, low country, S. Car. to Fla. 

 and farther "West. Root an entangled mass of thick libers. Sts. in clusters, o to 

 8' high. Lvs. 1' to IS'' long. Fls. expanding 5 or 6", tinged with purple. 

 Aug., Sept. 



Order CXXXIX. MARANTACE/E. Arroworts. 



Z&rts with a creeping rhizome, sheathing petioles, and ample loaves, wi Eh par- 

 allel veins diverging from tho midvein. Fls. with spathaccous bracts. Perianth 

 adhcretit, irregular, of 3 circles, each of 3 parts, tho inner often abortive. Stamens 

 3, petaloid, 2 sterile, tho 3d fertile, lateral, with only half an anther. Cvary infe- 

 rior, 1 to 3-celled. Seeds albuminous, embryo not in a sac (vitellus). 



Genera 6, aperies 16G, chiefly found in tho tropics. They arc remarkable, as nn ovdre, f" r tD<? 

 abundance of pure starch contained in tho rhizomes of many species, constituting tho gennina 

 jutow root of commerce. This is chic-fly obtained from Mavwnta urundinacea and uouiiU. li. 

 Indies, and M. ramosissima, W. Indies. Some arc cultivated for ornament. 



i. THA^LIA, L. (Named for John Thallus, a German physician and 

 author.) Flowers contained in a 2-leaved, glume-like spathe; calyx 3- 

 sepaled, small, concave, lance-ovate ; corolla G-parted, the 3 enter seg- 

 ments equal, 3 inner very unequal ; stamen 2-parted, the outer segment 

 petaloid, inner slender, bearing the 1 -celled, ovate (half) anther; style 

 short, twisted, with a large, lip-shaped stigma; fruit capsular, thin, with 

 1 <r 2 large seeds; embryo recurved. — 2f. Lvs. with long sheaths. 

 Scape paniculate. 



T. dealbata Eoscoc. Lvs. ovate-lanceolate, acute and revoluto at apex, rounded 

 at base, petiole distinct, much shorter than its sheath; scape and panicle pow- 

 dered; spathe of 2 very unequal lvs., 2-flowered, but usually 1-fruited, pilous; 



■ peiicarp membranous, inclosing 1 large, farinaceous seed, in which the slender 

 embryo lies distinct, bent double. — A tall, elegant plant, in marshes, S. Car. (Cur- 

 tis) to Fla. Abundant in the Chattahoochee R. near Apalachicola. Scape slender, 

 3 to 5 to 7fl high, bearing a large, forking panicle, with several lance-linear, de- 

 ciduous bracts. Lvs. 9 to 14' by 4 to 8', often subcordate. Fls. purple, half con- 

 cealed in the bracts. 



2. CANNA, L. India* Shot. (Derivation doubtful.) Calyx of 3 

 sepals, persistent on the fruit ; corolla G-parted, with unequal segments, 



