132. ARACE.E. [1. Pothos. 



2, Tuberous herbs, rarely caulescent or with thickened 

 rootstocks (some Alocasia and Colocaxia) and then 

 sjTiandrous. Fern, without staminodes. Leaves 

 1-3 (more in Nos. 9. 10, 12 and 13 or not) :— 

 a. St. free (anther 4-lobed in 7), loculi usually 

 broader than connective. Leaves pedate. Fls. 

 before leaves (exc. 8) :— 

 i. Segments of pedatipartite leaf pinnatifid : — 



Spadix inappendiculate. Placentation axile . 5. Plegmoninm. 

 Spadix appendiculate. Placentation basal. . 6. Amoi'phophallus. 

 ii. Leaf seg-nients not pinnatifid. Appendage 

 slender : — 

 Spathe narrow oblong. Ovary 1-celled, 



ovules 1-4 basal. Flowers before leaves . 7. Sauromatum. 

 Spathe broad or cyml^ifoi-m. Ovules 2-8. 



L. and Fl. cofPtaneous 8. Arlscema, 



h. Stamens free or synandrous. Leaves all simple 

 or hastately or sagittately lobed : — 

 i. Stamens free. Leaves hastate. Flowers 

 cotetaneous ; — 

 Ovules several, basal and apical . . .9. Theriophonum. 



Ovules 1-2 basal 10. Typhonium. 



ii. Stamens synandrous. L. sagittate or ovate 

 and cordate, usually peltate: — 

 t Fls. and leaves not coa^taneous. Spathe 

 broad, yellow. Bulbiferous stolens deve- 

 loped with the leaves 11. Remmatia. 



it Fls. and leaves coa?taneous. Stolons, if 

 present, not bulbiferous: — 

 Ovary with parietal placentse. Ovules 



many 12. Coloeasia. 



Ovary with intruded nearly central pla- 

 centa^ ........ Caladium 



Ovary with basilar placenta?. Ovules few- (p. 866). 



many 13. Alocasia. 



B. Aquatic herbs, rooting or floating, with linear or 

 lanceolate or small and cuneate-obovate leaves. 

 Ovaries few : — 

 Booting in earth. Ovaries in a single basal whorl. L. 



linear or lanceolate 14. Cryptocoryne. 



Floating. Ovary single basal. L. obovate-cuneate . 1-5. Pistia. 



1. POTHOS, L. 



Herbs or shrubs scaiident by means of the adventitious roots. 

 Leaves distichous articulate to the usually winged petiole, simple. 

 Latex tubes and spicule-cells absent. Spadix terminal or axillary, 

 peduncled with small reflexed cymbiform or elongate persistent 

 spathe, sessile or stipitate above the spathe. Tepals 6 Avith incurved 

 tips. Stamens 6 with flat filaments and ellipsoid anther-cells, 

 extrorse. Ovary 3-celled, stigma small. Ovule 1 in the imier basal 

 angle of each cell, anatropous. Berries 1-3-seeded. Seeds exalbu- 

 minous, embrj^o macropodal. 



Leaves 1-4" long. Spadix *17-"2" diam. Spathe •17-25" broad . 1. scandens. 

 Leaves 3-6'. Spadix •2.5-5" diam. Spathe *5-'7 " broad . . 2. Cafhcartii. 



Fothos aureus, Lind. et Andre, has been removed to Scindapsus. 



L P. scandens, L. 



Suffruticose, much branched. Leaf-blade elliptic or ovate or 

 oblong, acute or sometimes apiculate, 1-4" long. Petiole (with the 

 wings) -25" by -1" to 2-5" by -6", gradually narrower downwards, 



857 



