THE KEY 315 



nay-ly; aurea with au as in Laura; virginiana with the a as in 

 hay; alba, with a as in had; acutiloba with i as in hill; minor 

 with i as in mine; halimifolia with o as in hole; japdnica with 

 o as in con; rumex with u as in tune; f unkia with u as in run. 



Key to the families as represented in the following pages 



A. CRYPTOGAMS: no true flowers or seeds: propagating by means 



of spores Filices, p. 321 



AA. PHENOGAMS: bearing flowers and seeds. 



B. GYMNOSPERMS: seeds naked (not enclosed in ovaries), borne 

 in cones or berries: no conspicuous flowers: Ivs. needle- 

 shaped or scale-like: plants usually evergreen Coniferx, p. 324 



BB. ANGIOSPERMS: seeds borne in ovaries: flowers usually showy: 



leaves very various, mostly deciduous. 



c. Monocotyledons: cotyledon 1: leaves mostly parallel- 

 veined, not falling with distinct articulation: stem with 

 scattered fibro-vascular bundles (endogenous) and no 

 separable bark: flowers mostly 3-merous. 

 D. Flowers without true perianth, except sometimes small 

 scales, or bracts, or bristles, but inclosed by green 

 alternate glumes, or chaffy bracts: arranged in spikes 

 or spikelets: grass-like plants. 



E. Glumes in pairs, of 2 sorts (glumes and palets): culms 

 round, hollow: leaf -sheaths usually split on one side 



opposite blade 



Graminex, or Grass Family, not treated here. 



BE. Glume or scale single, with flower in axil: perianth 



none or replaced by bristles: culm triangular, solid; 



sheath entire or closed 



Cyperacese, or Sedge Family, not treated here. 

 (For grass-like plants having flowers with 6 similar, green 

 or chaffy bracts [glumaceous segments], culms solid, 

 See Juncacex, or Rush Family, not included here.) 

 DD. Flowers without glumes, borne on spadix, small, incon- 

 spicuous, usually attended by spathe Aracese, p. 327 



DDD. Flowers not on spadices, mostly conspicuous. 

 E. Perianth free from ovary. 



F. The perianth with all parts similarly colored. 



G. Parts of perianth 6, similar, green or chaffy 

 (bract-like) or glume-like (glumaceous segments). 



Juncacex. 



GG. Parts of perianth 6, regular, colored . . . .Liliacex, p. 328 

 FT. The perianth with parts differently colored. 



G. Leaves in a whorl: stigmas 3 .Trillium in Liliacex, p. 332 

 GG. Leaves alternate: stigma 1 Commelinacese, p. 334 



