THE AMARYLLIS FAMILY 



155 



bulb, pretty common everywhere, and very conspicuous by its 



large, glossy, radical leaves, from among which a leafless stalk 



(scape) two 'feet long, arises 



bearing an umbel of nume 



ous white flowers. The flowe: 



are enclosed in bud 



by a thin bract — 



the spathe — which 



breaks up in a slit. 



The perianth 

 consists of two 

 whorls of three 

 petals each, which 

 are all combined 

 into a long tube, 

 spreading at the 

 upper end into six equal segments. 

 The outer whorl of this perianth 

 may be called the calyx, and the 

 inner one the corolla; yet from 

 their being both coloured, and 

 otherwise very much alike, the 

 whole is called the perianth (see 

 also Gloriosa). The six stamens adhere at their bases to the 

 perianth-lobes, and are also arranged in alternating whorls. 

 The ovary is three-celled as in the Lilies, but inferior. The fruit 

 is a berry with one or two seeds. 



The bulb and the leaves are poisonous, and are used as 

 emetics. 



Other Amaryllids. 



These plants bear a close resemblance to the preceding order 

 and are often mistaken for true Lilies. The principal mark 

 by which they are distinguished from the Lilies is the inferior 

 ovary. One of their most useful members is the American 

 Aloe {Agave americana; Kan. Anekattali ; Mai. Eroppakaita ; 

 Tain. Anekattalai). It is a well-known shrub used for fences on 



Fig. 142.— Flower of 

 Crinum asiaticum. 



