296 AROIDEZ. ‘[ Pistia. 
Males and females contiguous or 
nearly so; neuters wanting ; 
leaves 3-sect.; segments pinna- 
tifid; edges of spathe free; 
ovules anatropous , . . 5, AMORPHOPHALLUS. 
Spadix without a barren terminal 
appendage; males and _ emales 
separated by a belt of fusiform 
pearly-white neuters ; flowers appear- 
ing without the leaves; leaves 
3-sect ; segments pinnatifid; ovules 
anatropous . ‘ . . . 6. PLESMONIUM. 
Leaves and scapes rising from a short 
caudex prolonging a hypogeal rhizome ; 
connective wider than the anther cells ; 
flowers and leaves present together. 
Leaves peltate ; 
Spadix with a barren appendage, not 
adnate at its base to the spathe ; 
ovules many, parietal . é - 7. CoLocasta. 
Spadix without an appendage ; ovules 
many, parietal; spadix quite free 
from spathe ; ‘ U . 8. RemusatTIA. 
Flowers hermaphrodite, rarely a few 1-sexual ; 
spadix without an appendage; perianth 
wanting ; epiphytic climbing herbs; ovules 
solitary, basal; berries free ; . . 9. ScINDAPSUS. 
1. PISTIA, Linn.; Fl. Brit. Ind. vi, 496. 
A floating gregarious stemless stoloniferous herb. Leaves sessile, 
obovate-cuneate, together forming an erect cup. Spathe small, 
shortly stalked, tubular below, open above. Spadix adnate to 
the back of the tube of the spathe, free above. MALE inflor. of 
a few sessile connate stamens beneath the apex of the spadix ; 
cells opening by vertical slits, with a ring of minute confluent 
neuters below them. Fem. inflor. a solitary ovoid-conic 1-celled 
ovary, style conical, stigma discoid; ovules many, basal or sub- 
parietal, orthotropous. J’ruit membranous, few-seeded. Seeds 
oblong or obovoid, testa at length rugose; albumen copious, 
