498 



ANGIOSPERMS 



are tropical or subtropical, but they are quite extensively grown 

 in greenhouses everywhere. The flowers have three sepals, three 



petals, three to six stamens, 

 and a pistil commonly of three 

 united carpels. The flowers 

 are borne on a spadix and en- 

 closed in a spathe. The fruit 

 is sometimes a berry, as in the 

 Date, or nut-like, as in the 

 Coconut. A number of the 

 palms are valuable plants in 

 the region where they grow. 

 The Date Palm (Fig. 451) 



yields the dates of the market. 



452. A portion of a Lily in mu /^ i. T i ^^ ^ 



flower and also a single flower, show- The CoCOnufc Palm y ields the 

 ing the perianth consisting of six Coconuts of the market and is 

 similar parts. After Lecomte. probably one of the most use- 



ful Palms to the natives, fur- 

 nishing food, clothing, utensils of all kinds, building materials, 

 etc. The Sago Palms yield Sago, which is prepared by washing 

 out the starch from the stems. A 

 tree 15 years old will sometimes yield 

 800 Ibs. of starch. The Oil Palm of 

 West Africa yields a fruit from which 

 palm oil is obtained. 



Lily Family (Liliaceae) . The Lilies 

 have a perianth of six parts and six 

 stamens (Fig. 452). The pistil usually 

 consists of three united carpels. Their 

 flowers are often showy, and many of 

 them, as the true Lilies, Hyacinths, 

 Star of Bethlehem, Tulip, Day Lily, 

 and Lily of the Valley, are ornamental 

 plants. The Onion and Asparagus 

 are common articles of food. Some, 

 as the Aloe, Smilax, Colchicum, and 

 Veratrum, yield valuable medicines. 

 One, called New Zealand Flax, is a valuable fiber plant. In 

 another family closely related to the Lily family are the 

 Agaves, of which the Century Plant (Fig. 453) is a familiar 



r- - 



FIG. 453. A Century 

 Plant, one of the Agaves, 

 showing the thick leaves and 

 shape of the plant (X T V). 



