9%7 PETALOIDE^E 



which case they resemble the Palms rather than exogenous trees, 

 the trunk being destitute of true bark and pith, and the leaves 

 being never jointed at the stem. Butcher's Broom (Ruscus) is the 

 only British species which assumes a shrubby character ; Asparagus 

 is a branching, herbaceous plant, with creeping roots, scaly stems, 

 and bristle-like leaves ; Convallaria (Lily of the Valley) has also 

 creeping roots. These three produce a berry-like fruit. Plants 

 of the Lily tribe are most abundant in temperate climates, but 

 attain their greatest magnitude in the tropics. A specimen of 

 Draccena draco (Dragon's Blood) in Teneriffe, which was blown 

 down in 1867, and was known to have been an ancient tree in 

 1406, measured 70 feet high and some 48 feet in circumference. 

 The leaves of many species contain a tough fibre, which is used as 

 a substitute for hemp or flax. Among these the most remarkable 

 is Phormium tenax (New Zealand Flax). The genus Allium (Onion, 

 Garlic, and Leek) supplied food to the early inhabitants of 

 Egypt, and had divine honours paid to it. In Kamtschatka, 

 Tartary, and the Sandwich Islands, various species are cultivated 

 for the same purpose. The bud and tender part of the stem of the 

 Grass-tree, a native of Tasmania, is said to be nutritious, and of 

 an agreeable flavour, and in our own country the young shoots of 

 Asparagus rank among the most delicate of our esculent vegetables. 

 In medicine many species are of great value, among which aloes, 

 the condensed juice of Aloe vulgaris, etc., and squills, an extract 

 of Scilla maritima, are well known. Colchicum (Meadow Saffron) 

 is used as a specific for the gout, but it is considered a dangerous 

 medicine. As ornamental plants the beauty of the Lily tribe has 

 been for ages proverbial ; Lilium Chalcedonicum, the scarlet 

 Turk's-cap Lily, which covers the plains of Syria with its brilliant 

 flowers, is said to have been the plant which was mentioned in the 

 Sermon on the Mount under the title of " the lilies of the field." 

 The innumerable varieties of Hyacinth are derived from an eastern 

 plant, Hyacinthus Orientalis ; and the Tulip (Tulipa) was long 

 the most highly prized among florist's flowers, and furnished in 

 Holland a subject for the most absurd speculation. 



1. Asparagus. Corolla deeply 6-cleft, bell-shaped ; stamens 6, 

 distinct ; stigmas 3, bent back. (Name, the Greek name of the 

 plant.) 



2. Ruscus (Butcher's Broom). Corolla deeply 6-cleft ; stamens 

 and pistils on different plants (dioecious) ; stamens connected at 

 the base ; style surrounded by a nectary. (Name " anciently 

 bruscus, from bruskelen ; in Celtic, box-holly." Sir W. J. Hooker.) 



3. Convallaria (Lily of the Valley). Corolla 6-cleft, bell- 

 shaped, soon falling off, not jointed with the pedicle ; stamens 6, 

 distinct ; stigma 1. (Name from the Latin, convallis, a valley, 

 the usual locality of this family.) 



