296 THE KINDS OF PLANTS 



2. GALANTHUS. SNOWDROP. 



Small, spring-blooming plants, with a single white flower nodding from 

 the top of the scape, followed by grass-like leaves: perianth divisions 6, 

 oblong and more or less concave, the three inner ones shorter, some of 

 them usually green-blotched at the tip : anthers and style 

 pointed. 



G. nivalis, Linn. Snowdrop. Fig. 436. One of the earli- 

 est of spring flowers, appearing as soon as the snow is gone, 

 the flower and leaves arising from a small bulb : scape 6 in. 

 or less high: inner divisions of the bell-shaped flower tipped 

 with green. Europe. 



3. LEUCOIUM. SNOWFLAKE. 



Flowers often more than 1 : divisions of the perianth all 

 alike: anthers and style blunt: otherwise very like Galanthus. 

 L. v6rnum, Linn. Snow flake. Taller than the snow- 

 436 Galanthus drop (about 1 ft.), the scape usually 1-flowered, blooming 

 nivalis. later, the flowers larger. Europe. 



4. POLIANTHES. TUBEROSE. 



Leafy-stemmed lily-like plants, with a thick, tuberous rootstock (whence 

 the name tuber-ose not tube-rose), bearing an erect spike of white flowers: 

 perianth with a short slightly curved tube and 6 spreading nearly equal 

 divisions: stamens included in the tube (not projecting). 



P. tuberdsa, Linn. T^lberose. Two to 3 ft., bearing long-linear, chan- 

 nelled, many-ranked leaves: flowers very fragrant, sometimes tinted with 

 rose. A popular garden plant from Mexico, blooming in the open in late 

 summer and autumn; some forms are double. 



VI. IBIDACE-ffi. IRIS FAMILY. 



Differs from Amaryllidacese and Liliaceae in its inferior ovary, 

 three stamens which are opposite the outer parts of the perianth, 

 and 2-ranked equitant '(bases overlapping) leaves: stigmas some- 

 times large and petal-like. About 60 genera and 700 species. Kep- 

 resentative plants are iris or blue flag, crocus, gladiolus, freesia. 

 Crocuses and freesias are easily grown in window-boxes for winter 

 and spring bloom. 



A. Lobes of the style flat and colored, looking like petals 1. Iris 



AA. Lobes of the style thread-like. 



B. Plant stemless, the leaves and flowers arising directly 



from the conn 2. Crocus 



BB. Plant with a leaf -bearing and flower-bearing stem. 



c. Flowers in a short 1-sided cluster: plant small 3. Freesia 



cc. Flowers in a terminal spike : plant large 4. Gladiolus 



