106 CALLA PALUSTRTS. BOG-ARUM. 



tainty of characters derived from mere sexual distinctions. As 

 noted in our botanical references at the head of this article, Dr. 

 Lindley classes our plant in the natural order Orontiacece, which 

 was divided from the true Arums, as they were then considered, 

 by R. Brown. In support of this arrangement, Dr. Lindley 

 says : " The greater part of these plants [Orontiads) have the habit 

 of Arads, with which they are usually associated, and from 

 which, in fact, they differ only in having hermaphrodite flowers, 

 which have usually a scaly perianth." But as we sec by the 

 description we have given from Dr. Gray, our plant often has 

 the upper flowers staminate only, and there is, therefore, no 

 morphological reason why all the flowers might not be so under 

 some circumstances. In like manner, we have in our plant an 

 absence of the perianth, which, Dr. Lindley remarks, should 

 " usually exist " in the order. These and other considerations 

 fully justify American botanists in not recognizing Orontiaccce 

 as a natural order. 



The resemblance, in general appearance, of our plant to the 

 common Calla, or Richardia Aithiopica of our gardens, is very 

 striking; and indeed the two were for a long time associated 

 together under the same family name. But the Egyptian plant 

 has been separated by Kunth, under the name of Richardia, 

 because the anthers have no filaments, — are sessile, — and be- 

 cause of a difference in the cell-divisions of the ovary. Stress 

 is also laid on the fact that, while in Richardia the spathe is 

 convolute, and folds around the spadix as a perianth would do 

 in an ordinary flower, in the true Calla it is flattened and 

 exposes the spadix to full view. 



It is quite remarkable that so pretty a native plant has not 

 found its way into general culture ; for though not so striking 

 as its sister, the Richardia, or Calla Lily, it has the great 

 advantage of being thoroughly hardy, while the other is de- 

 stroyed by a very little frost. It seems to be more appreciated 

 in England than here ; for Mr. Robinson, in his work on "Alpine 

 Flowers " cultivated in English gardens, pays it a high compli- 



