10 ENGLISH BOTANY. 
on a spadix, supported on a radical or axillary scape, and often sur-— 
rounded by a spathe. Flowers, when unisexual, usually with the male 
flowers in the upper part of the spike, and the female in the lower, 
wholly covering the spadix, or only forming belts round it. Perfect 
flowers frequently with a rudimentary scale-like perianth of 4 to 8 
leaves, and with 4, 6, 8, or more stamens surrounding a 1-, 2- or 
3-celled ovary free from the perianth. Male flowers reduced to single” 
stamens, which are free, or more or less united to each other; the 
anthers sometimes nearly or quite sessile. Female flowers reduced to” 
naked ovaries, which are free or united with each other, 1- or many- 
celled and 1- or many-ovuled; ovules variously disposed, usually 
orthotropous or campylotropous; style simple or none; stigma capitate 
or discoid, undivided or lobed. Fruit generally a berry, rarely dry, 
with 1 or more cells, and 1 or more seeds. Seeds subglobular or 
angulated, with a coriaceous and often thick testa; albumen usually” 
abundant, fleshy or farinaceous, rarely nearly absent; embryo straight, | 
axial, extremity of the radicle pointing towards or away from the 
f 
hilum. 
Tame 1—ORONTES. | 
Flowers perfect, surrounded by a membranous perianth of 6 leaves. | 
Spathe replaced by a leaf-like bract, resembling a continuation of thell 
stem, not convolute or tubular at the base, sometimes absent. | 
a 
GENUS I—ACORUS. Linn. 
Spathe leaf-like, ancipitate, usually forming an apparent continua-_ 
tion of the 2-edged scape. Spadix inclined, or forming a continuation 
of the scape, pseudo-lateral, conico-cylindrical, wholly covered with | 
perfect flowers. Perianth of 6 membranous oblong-oblanceolate obtuse — 
persistent leaves, concave at the apex. Stamens 6, inserted in the 
base of the perianth leaves; filaments linear, flattened; anthers 
9-celled, didymous. Ovary 2- or 3-celled, ovules numerous; stigmas ¢ 
sessile, punctiform. Fruit bluntly 6-sided, prismatical-clavate, her- 
baceous, indehiscent, 1- to 3-seeded. Embryo in the axis of the 
albumen; radicle directed towards the hilum. 
Aquatic or marsh plants, with thick creeping rhizome and linear- | 
ensiform equitant green leaves. Spadix appearing to come from the 
side of a flattened scape, from the bract being in the same line as thé 
scape, and the spadix ascending at an angle into its scape; or form 
ing a continuation of the scape, with the bract ascending at one side 
of it. 
