444 



ARACEAE. 



VOL. I. 



i. Peltandra virgmica (L.) Kunth. Green 

 Arrow-arum. Fig. 1115. 



Arum virginicum L. Sp. PI. 966. 1/53. 



Peltandra undulata Raf. Journ. Phys. 89: 103. 1819.. 



Peltandra virginica Kunth, Enum. 3: 43. 1841. 



Leaves bright green, somewhat hastate-sagit- 

 tate, 4'-3o' long, 3'-8' wide, acute or acuminate 

 at the apex, firm, strongly veined. Root a tuft 

 of thick fibers ; scape nearly as long as the leaves, 

 recurving and immersing the fruiting spadix at 

 maturity; spathe green, 4'-8' long, long-conic, 

 closely investing the spadix throughout, the 

 strongly involute margins undulate ; spadix 

 shorter than the spathe, the pistillate flowers 

 covering about one-fourth of its length, the rest 

 occupied by staminate flowers ; ovaries globose- 

 ovoid; style nearly I" long; stigmas a little 

 thicker than the style ; berries green when ripe. 



In swamps or shallow water, Maine to Ontario, 

 Michigan, Florida, Louisiana and Missouri. Poison- 

 arum. Virginia wake-robin. May-June. 

 Peltandra sagittaefolia (Michx.) Morong, admitted into our first edition, differs from P. vir- 

 ginica in a dilated spathe with a whitish summit ; it is not definitely known north of North Carolina. 



3. CALLA L. Sp. PI. 968. 1753. 



A bog herb with slender acrid rootstocks, broadly ovate or nearly orbicular cordate 

 leaves, and a large white persistent spathe. Spathe ovate-lanceolate or elliptic, acuminate, 

 open. Spadix cylindric, much shorter than the spathe, densely covered with flowers. 

 Flowers perfect or the very uppermost staminate; perianth none. Stamens about 6; fila- 

 ments linear, longer than the anthers; anther-sacs divaricate, opening by slits. Ovary 

 ovoid, i-celled; style very short; stigma small, flat, circular. Ovules 6-9, anatropous. 

 Berries obconic, depressed. Seeds hard, smooth, oblong, striate toward the micropyle and 

 pitted at the other end. Endosperm copious. [An ancient name, taken from Pliny.] 



A monotypic genus of the cooler portions of the 

 north temperate zone. 



i. Calla palustris L. Water Arum. Wild 

 Calla. Fig. 1116. 



Calla palustris L. Sp. PI. 968. 1753. 



Petioles 4'-8' long, spreading or ascending. 

 Blades thick, entire, ii'-4' wide, cuspidate or 

 abruptly acute at the apex, deeply cordate at the 

 base ; scapes as long as the petioles, sheathed at 

 the base ; rootstocks covered with sheathing scales 

 and with fibrous roots at the nodes ; spathe \'-2\' 

 long and about i' wide, with an abruptly acumi- 

 nate involute apex; spadix about i' long; berries 

 red, distinct, few-seeded, forming a large head 

 when mature. 



In bogs, Nova Scotia to Hudson Bay, Minnesota, 

 New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Iowa. 

 Reported from Virginia. Also in Europe and Asia. 

 Female or water-dragon. Water-lily. Swamp-robin. 

 May-June. Fruit ripe July-Aug. 



4. SPATHYEMA Raf. Med. Rep. (II.) 

 5:352. 1808. 



[SYMPLOCARPUS Salisb. ; Nutt. Gen. i: 105. 1818.] 



A fetid herb, with large ovate cordate leaves, thick straight rootstocks and a short erect 

 partly underground scape. Spathe swollen, shell-like, thick, pointed, completely enclosing 

 the spadix. Spadix globose or oblong, short-stalked, entirely covered by the perfect flowers. 

 Perianth of 4 hooded sepals. Filaments slightly dilated ; anthers 2-celled, short, extrorse, 

 opening longitudinally. Ovary nearly buried in the tissue of the spadix, i-celled with a soli- 

 tary suspended anatropous ovule. Style pyramidal, 4-sided, thick, elongated ; stigma minute. 

 Berries immersed in the spongy axis of the spadix, becoming adnate to the succulent peri- 

 anth in ripening, i-seeded, forming large heads. Seeds large. Embryo large, fleshy; endo- 

 sperm none. [Greek, referring to the spathe.] 



A monotypic genus of eastern North America and northeastern Asia. 



