SMILACE^E. 355 



jCapsule elongated, narrowed at the base, 3- celled, many- 

 seeded. Seeds roundish, naked. Hexandria. Monogynia. 



H. erecta Linn. : hairy ; leaves all radical, linear and gramineous, 

 sparingly hirsute, longer than the scape ; scape 2 4-flowered ; seg- 

 ments of the perianth lanceolate. H. erecta and H. graminea Pursh. 

 H. caroliniensis Mich. 



HAB. Meadows and woods. Can. to Car. June, July. 21. 

 Root bulbous. Scape 46 inches high, with the leaves narrow 

 and often double the length. Flowers yellow. Star Grass. 



ORDER CXX. DIOSCORE^. Brown. Lind. 



Flowers dioecious. Perianth 6-cleft, equaJ. Stamens 6, 

 inserted into the base of the segments of the perianth. Ovary 

 3-celled ; ovules l-*2 in each cell ; style deeply trifid ; stig- 

 mas undivided. Fruit a thin compressed capsule, with two 

 of its cells sometimes abortive. Seeds flat, compressed ; em* 

 bryo small, lying in a large cavity of a somewhat horny albu- 

 men, near the- hi him. 



Twining shrubs. Leaves usually alternate* mostly with re- 

 ticulated veins. 



1. DIOSCOREA. Linn. 



Dioecious. Perianth 6-parted. STERILE FL. Stamens 

 6, FERTILE FL. Styles 3. Capsule 3-celled, triangular, 

 compressed ; cells 2 seeded. Seeds membranaceously mar- 

 gined. Dioecia. Hexandria. 



1. D. villosa Linn. : leaves alternate, opposite and verticillate, cor- 

 date, acuminate, pubescent beneath, 9-nerved ; lateral nerves simple. 

 D. paniculata Mich. 



HAB. Woods. Can. to Car. May, June. If. Stem climbing, 

 sometimes 12 feet high. Lower leaves whorled, upper ones ge- 

 nerally alternate. Flowers small, in axillary panicles. 



Yam Root. 



2. D. quaternata Walt. : leaves verticillate in fours, or alternate, cor- 

 date, acuminate, smooth on both sides, 7-nerved ; lateral nerves bifid. 

 D. glauca Mufd. 



HAB. Old fields. Penn. to Car. July. If. Stem climbing. 

 Leaves more tapering at the summit than in the former. 



ORDER CXXI. SMILACE^. Proton. Lind. 



Flowers monoclinous or dioecious. Perianth petaloid, 6- 

 parted, (4-parted in Styrandra.*) Stamens 6, (4 in Styran- 



