511 



succeeding writers, particularly Mr. Roscoe, in Trans, of 

 Linn. Soc. vol. viii., and Mr. Brown in his Prodr. Nov. 

 Holl., to explain the flowers much better. The corolla 

 is monopetalous, with a double limb, and more or less ir- 

 regular ; each limb in three deep segments ; the inner 

 most unequal, one of its segments being a dilated, lobed, 

 ornamented lip, like that of the Orchidecu, the other two 

 sometimes very small, or obsolete. Stamen one, inserted 

 into the tube, opposite to the lip ; its filament mostly di- 

 lated, and of a petal-like habit, by the diversity of whose 

 shape Mr. Roscoe has first reduced this order into na- 

 tural genera, a matter in which preceding botanists had 

 altogether failed. The anther consists of two parallel 

 distinct lobes, united lengthwise with the filament, burst- 

 ing longitudinally, sometimes spurred at the base. There 

 are usually the rudiments of two abortive stamens, first 

 asserted to be such by Mr. Brown. Germen roundish, 

 with a threadshaped style, lodged between the lobes of the 

 anther, and a dilated, cup-like, often fringed, stigma. 



" To this order belong the Ginger, Cardamoms, Grains 

 of Paradise, Cost us, Galangale and Zedoary of the shops, 

 all aromatic. We have nothing similar to them in Eu- 

 rope, except Acorus." 



What Professor Giseke has subjoined to the lectures 

 of Linnaeus, relative to this order, is, to say the best of 

 it, superfluous. 



Order 9. Spathaceje. " These are distinguished by 

 their bulbous root, consisting of a radical bud, formed 

 from the bases of the last-year's leaves, which envelope 

 the rudiments of the future foliage. In a bud the scales 

 are expanded into leaves ; in a bulb the permanent base 

 of the leaves becomes fleshy. In this order the leaves are 

 sheathing at the root, so that they exhibit no instance of 

 a scaly bulb, but only a coated one. Their leaves are, with 

 a few exceptions, almost linear, or linear lanceolate. Stem 

 no other than a scapus, or radical flowerstalk, either round, 

 two-edged, or triangular. The spatha, or sheath, is a 



