A R U 



A R U 



is ail ovale germ ; no style : the sligma beard- 

 ed, with vilTose hairs : the pericarpiiini is a glo- 

 bular one-celled berry : the seeds several and 

 roundish. 



The species chiefly cultivated arc : 1. ^4. Ita- 

 Uctim, Italian Arum ; 2. y/. ylrhitnim, Eroad- 

 Icaved Anini, or Friars Cawl ; 3. A. Dracuiuu- 

 liis. Long-sheathed Arum, or Connnon Dra- 

 gon ; 4. A. Draionliuiii, Short-sheaihed Arum, 

 or Green Dragon; 5. yl. Colocusia, Egyptian 

 Arum ; 6. yl.^ Iriloiatum, Three-lobed hulian 

 Arum; '. A. licclurum. Two-coloured Ariun ; 

 8. A. arhorescens. Tree Arum ; Q. yl. scguiiium. 

 Dumb-cane Arum. 



The first, according to Martyn, has the stem 

 five feet high, as thick as the human arm, usu- 

 ally upright : the leaves very large, sliohtly acu- 

 minate, with many transverse, parallel ribs ; on 

 long, awl -shaped, erect, stem-clasping petioles : 

 the spathes axillary, small, acute, straight and 

 convolute: the spadix awl-shaped, erect; with 

 the female florets inserted at the base : the ber- 

 ries roundish, pale and small. It is a native of 

 the East Indies. 



The second species has the spathc entire 

 above, and bent in a little ; below it is also 

 entire, and not convolute : the root is oblong 

 and thick ; the height about a foot and half : 

 the leaves are sharpTsh ; spathc shorter than the 

 leaves : the spadix curved, and the berries red, 

 with one seed in each. It is a native of the 

 south of France, Sec. 



The third sort has a large, tuberous, fleshy 

 root, which in the spring puts up a straight 

 stalk about three feet high, spotted like the 

 bellv of a snake ; at the top it spreads out into 

 leaves, which are cut into several narrow seg- 

 ments almost to the bottom : at the top of the 

 sialk the flower is produced, which is in shape 

 like the common Arum, having a very long 

 spathe of a dark purple colour, standing erect, 

 with a large spadix of the same colour, so that 

 when it is in flower it makes no un pleasing ap- 

 pearance. It is a native of the southern parts 

 of Europe. 



The fourth sjiccies grows about eight or nine 

 inches high : the root is roundish, solid, white 

 within and without, smooth : the leaves are pe- 

 tioled, upright, smuller than those of the fore- 

 going: the "leaflets broad lanceolate, and com- 

 monly in threes : the spadix awl-shaped, slen- 

 der, longer than both spathe and leaves. It is 

 a native of America, and flowers in June. 



The fifth has a tuberous, thick, large, oblong 

 root, rounded at the base : the leaves arc thick, 

 smooth, ash-coloured, in form and size resem- 

 bling those of the Water-Lily, having thick 

 ribs running obliquely to the edge : the petioles 



are thick, upriiiht, roundish, whitish, and gprcid- 



ing out at bolloni : llie M.ipi.- short, wilii a -ubu- 

 l.ile, reflex, flat spathe: the spaiiix suliulalc, 

 sluirter than the spathc. It is a native ot the 

 Levant, See. 



In the sixth species the root is roundish, 

 compressed, smooth, half an inch in diameter: 

 the plant a foot high, and unrighl: the Uaveseor- 

 date at tlie base, three-lobcd, large, lew : the lobes 

 ovate and sharpish : the petioles arc long, lingular, 

 striated, widening at the base, and couLave : the 

 scape shorter than the leaves : the spathe very 

 wide, flat, acuminate and dusky red : the spadix 

 subsessile, svibulatt, shorter ilian the spathc ; 

 with male flowers at the up, female at the base, 

 and very manv long flexuosc red hairs in the 

 middle. It is a native of Ceylon, and flowers 

 in May and.lune. 



The seventh is without stem: the leaves are 

 halbert-shaped, and entire from the root, with 

 the disk coloured, the middle of the sheath nar- 

 rowed, and the lamina enct, pointed, roundish, 

 and almost convolute. Itflowcrsin June and July. 

 The eighth species has an erect jointed stalk, 

 six feet in height, with arrow-shaped leaves in 

 clusters at top ; the flowers coming out between 

 the leaves in long green spathes, close to the stem. 

 The niiuli has the leaves sometimes punched 

 with holes : it rises to the height of six or seven 

 feet with a green jointed stalk as large as a walk- 

 ing-cane : the leaves are placed irregularly at the 

 top of the stalks, crowing in a cluster ; ihey arc 

 oblong, and of a Tight green colour : from be- 

 tween the leaves the flowers come out on the 

 side of the stalk, having a l(^ng spathe of a pale 

 green color.r, marked vviih white spots, silling 

 close to the stem of the plant: at the first ap- 

 pearance it stands erect, soon after it becomes 

 horizontal, and m a little time declines down- 

 ward : the lower part is swilling so far as the 

 flowers are ransred on the spadix, .above which 

 it is greatly contracted, and toward the lop en- 

 larges again, where it is a little open, so as to 

 show the naked part of the spadix, but is twist- 

 ed asrain at the top: all the lower part folds 

 closeTv over the spadix, so that it is scarcely dis- 

 cernible, unless the spaihe be opened ; wliich can 

 only be done on one side, the other adhering 

 closely to the spadix, so far upward as the 

 flowers extend the naked part of the spadix only 

 beinc separated from the spaihe ; so that the fe- 

 malt""flowers and stamina are ranged only on one 

 side of the spadix ; in w hich it diflers from tlie 

 other species. It is a native of the warm parls 

 of America. 



Ciillun. — In this genus of jjlants the propa- 

 gation is mostly eflecled by means of oflVeis, or 

 partintr the roots, which may be done either in 



