517 



Linnaeus, in his lectures, proceeds to observe, that he 

 " wanted to make further inquiry into the cotyledons of 

 his Sarmentacea; for though he knew that several of these 

 plants were monocotyledonous, he knew two, and did not 

 doubt there were more, perfectly dicotyledonous. Hence 

 he suspected the order might be separated into two, in 

 other respects very closely related." 



" The roots of all this family are oblong and fleshy, 

 except JErythronium, whose radicles are long and quite 

 simple ; those of Smilax Sarsaparilla run very deeply into 

 the ground, and are sometimes so thickened at the ends 

 as to become tuberous. The stem at first coming forth 

 is smooth and leafless, mostly branched, except in Paris 

 and Trillium; in some prostrate. Leaves in every instance 

 simple and undivided, sometimes linear, sometimes lan- 

 ceolate and acute, or heartshaped, uniform, mostly alter- 

 nate ; except when three or more stand together in a 

 whorl, and in Dioscorea oppositifolia. It is rare that al- 

 ternate and opposite leaves occur in the same natural or- 

 der. Flowers mostly on simple stalks, Smilax excepted, 

 which has umbels; they are drooping, except in Paris. 

 Stamens universally six, except in Menispermum. Styles 

 three, or three-cleft. All the genera, almost without ex- 

 ception, are deficient in either calyx or corolla. The fruit 

 is generally of three cells. Inflorescence axillary in all 

 except Erythronium, which has but one flower, and Rus- 

 cus, where it springs from the leaf." 



" Their qualities are to be judged of by the smell. All 

 of them betray something of malignity, except two in- 

 sipid ones which are eatable, Dioscorea and Asparagus. 

 Gloriosa is very poisonous ; the dried flowers of Lily of 

 the Valley cause sneezing, like Veratrum, that is, they 

 produce convulsions. Paris has always been deemed 

 poisonous. One kind of Cissa?npelos, named Pareira 

 brava, and Smilax, are known by physicians to be highly 

 diuretic, as well as the roots of Asparagus. Menispermum 

 Cocculus kills fishes, lice, and men." 



