ARISy^MA TRIPHYLLUM. 

 THREE-LEAVED INDIAN TURNIP. 



NATURAL ORDER, ARACE/E. 



Aris^ma triphyllum, Torrey. — Leaves mostly two, divided into three elliptical-ovate pointed 

 leaflets; spadix mostly dioecious, club-shaped, obtuse, much shorter than the spathe, which 

 is flattened and incurved-hooded at the summit. [Grays Manual of the Botajiy of the 

 Noitkeni United States. See also Chapman's Flora of the Southern United States, and 

 Wood's Class- Book of Botany.) 



HE plants of this genus were classed with Arum by Lin- 



nceus, and our present species was the Arum triphyl- 

 hmi of that great man. . Under this name it was known to all 

 our botanists up to about thirty years ago. The whole Arum 

 family were but imperfectly understood by the older students. 

 They saw that all had a certain general resemblance ; but in time 

 many new genera were founded, and the present one, Ariscsma, 

 was taken from Arum by Martins, a well-known writer in 1831 

 on the Flora of Brazil, and confirmed in the year following by 

 Schott, a distinguished writer on Aracece. The dates are im- 

 portant to the critical student, as in some works Schott is cred- 

 ited with the foundation of the genus. It has puzzled botanists 

 to know what Martins derived the name of Ariscema from. Ac- 

 cording to Pliny, Aris was the name of some very bitter plant, 

 and it was sometimes called Arisaron also. The roots and 

 leaves of some European Arums are intensely acrid, and they 

 are believed to be the same as are referred to by the ancient 

 writers under the same name. Ariscema seems to have no 

 meaning that is applicable to our plant. Some German botanists 

 believe the name was intended to be written Ariscema. If it 

 were Arisema, it would mean "hooded Arum," and this would 



C140) 



