LILT FAMILY. 341 



Among the various cultivated plants of the choicer collections, the following 

 are not rarely met with. 



* Not bulbous. 



Phormium t^nax, New Zealand Flax. Nearly hardy N., but does 

 not flower ; the very Hrm finely nerved linear evergreen leaves tufted on matted 

 rootstocks, strongly keeled, conduplicate below, nearly flat above, yielding a 

 very strong fibre fer cordage. 



Dracaena and Cordyline, Dragon-Trees, two or three species, orna- 

 ments of choice conservatories, cult, for their foliage. 



Aide angulata, A. varieg^ta, and other Aloes, with very thick and 

 fleshy 2-ranked leaves crowded or imbricated at the ground, sending up a slen- 

 der scape, bearing a spike or raceme of tubular flowers ; in conservatories. 

 * * From coated bulbs, sending up leaves and scapes. 

 Lachenalia tricolor; tender bulb from Cape of Good Hope; with 

 lanceolate soft leaves blotched with purple, and a raceme of small, rather sin- 

 gular than handsome, greenisli-purple and yellow flowers, its erect divisions 

 connivent, the three interior longer. 



CaloGh6rtus, Cyclobdthra, Brodiaea, and Tritel6ia, handsome 

 flowered bulbi, chiefly from California and Oregon, hardly any quite hardy N. 



1. TRILLIUM, THREE-LEAVED NIGHTSHADE, WAKE ROBIN, 



BIRTHROOT. (Name from Latin trilix, triple, the parts throughout being 

 in threes.) Low stem irom a short tuber-like rootstock (Lessons, p. 42, fig. 67), 

 bearing a whorl of three green conspicuously netted-veined ovate or rhom- 

 ' boidal leaves, and a terminal flower, in spring. All grow in rich or moist 

 woods, or the last in bogs. 



§ 1 . Flower sessile : petals and sepals narrow, the former spatulate, dull purple, 



T. Sessile. From Penn. W. & S. : leaves sessile, often blotched ; petals 

 sessile, rather erect, turning greenish, long persisting. 



T. recurv^tum. Only W. : differs in having the leaves narrowed at 

 base into a petiole, sepals reflexed, and pointed petals with a narrowed base. 



§ 2. Flower raised on a peduncle: petals withering aicay soon ajler flowering. 



* Peduncle erect or inclined : leaves rhombic-ovate, sessile by a wedge-shaped base, 



abruptly taper-pointed: petals flat. 



T. grandifl6rum, Great-flowered White T. From Vermont to 

 Penn. and VV"., flowering rather late : handsome, the obovate petals 2' -2^' long, 

 much larger than the sepals, gradually recurving from an erect base, pure white, 

 in age becoming rose-colored. 



T. erectum, Purple T. or Birthroot. Chiefly N. : not so large as the 

 preceding; the dark dull purple petals ovate, widely spreading, little longer 

 than the sepals, I'-l^' long. 



Var. album, from New York W. : has greenish white, rarely yellowish 

 petals. 



Var. declin^tum, from Ohio N. W., has peduncle fully half the length of 

 the leaves and horizontal, or in fruit even reflexed ; petals white or pinkish. 



* * Peduncle recurved from the first under the short-petioled or almost sessile leaves, 



not longer than the ovary and recurved white petals. 



T. c6rnuum, Nodding T. Commonest E. : leaves rhombic-ovate ; petals 

 oblong, ovate, acute, ^' -%' long; styles separate. 



T. Styldsum. Upper country S. : leaves oblong, tapering to both ends; 

 petals oblong, tinged with rose-color, much longer and broader than the sepals ; 

 styles united at base. 



* * * Peduncle nearly erect ; leaves rounded at the base and short-petioled. 

 T. nivile, Dwarf White T. From Ohio N. W. : very early-flowering, 

 2' -4' high; leaves oval or ovate, obtuse; petals oblong, obtuse, pure white, 

 i' long; styles slender. 



