ANGIOSPERMAE 745 



bearing the crowded and mainly parthenocarpic C 45 ) berry-like fruits. M. textilis 

 yields Manila Hemp. llavenala has a woody stem. Strelitzia reginae (Fig. 529) 

 from the Cape is cultivated on account of the beauty of its flowers. 



Family 2. Zingiberaceae. Flowers in spikes, which in some cases resemble 

 capitula. Flower dorsi ventral. Calyx inconspicuous, tubular. Corolla with 

 three lobes. The outer whorl of the androecium is wanting or represented by two 

 lateral staminodes (Fig. 825, sst lt $st 2 ). Only the posterior stamen of the inner 

 whorl (st) is fertile; the two others are joined to form the brightly - coloured 

 petaloid labellum (I). The style lies in the tubular groove between the thecae of 

 the stamen. Fruit a capsule. Most plants of the family belong to tropical Asia. 



Zingiber ojficinale, the Ginger, is an ancient cultivated plant of Southern Asia, 

 now cultivated throughout the tropics (Fig. 826). The flattened branched 

 rhizome is in contact with the soil by its narrow side. Leaves, two -ranked ; 

 main shoot continued by the growth of axillary buds of the lower surface. The 

 leafy shoots, in spite of their length, are composed of the sheaths of the large, 

 simple, entire leaves, the axis remaining extremely short. Only the flowering 

 shoots are solid ; they remain shorter and bear scale leaves with large sheaths 

 but no lamina. Bracts large and, especially at their margins, brightly coloured. 

 Flowers, bright yellow, with a conspicuous, violet, and spotted labellum. Elettaria 

 Cardamomum and Curcuma have the stalks bearing their inflorescences similarly 

 provided with scale leaves. Alpinia and Hedychium, the latter of which is often 

 cultivated, have on the other hand normal leafy shoots bearing the terminal 

 inflorescence. 



OFFICIAL. Zingiber qfficinale, rhizome yields GINGER. Elettaria Cardamomum 

 yields CARDAMOM SEEDS. 



Family 3. Cannaceae. Large-leaved herbs ; often in cultivation. Flowers 

 asymmetrical (Fig. 827). Only one half stamen fertile (i.e. anther with only one 

 theca), the other half being petaloid. 



Family 4. Marantaceae. Large -leaved herbs. Leaves with pulvinus at 

 junction of stalk and lamina. Stamen as in preceding order. Arrowroot is 

 obtained from Maranta arundinacea. 



Order 7. Gynandrae 



Family Orehidaeeae. Perennial, herbaceous plants growing as 

 epiphytes or in the ground, with hermaphrodite, zygomorphic flowers. 

 Perianth petaloid, the posterior segment of the inner whorl developed 

 as a lip or labellum, which frequently bears a spur. (The " labellum " 

 of the Scitamineae being formed of two staminodes is entirely 

 different morphologically.) Androecium formed of the three 

 anterior stamens only ; the middle stamen, belonging to the outer 

 whorl, is fertile ; the other two are represented by staminodes. Cypri- 

 pedium has these two lateral stamens of the inner whorl fertile. 

 Gynaeceum formed of three carpels, syncarpous ; ovary inferior, uni- 

 locular. Fruit, a capsule. Seeds extremely numerous, borne on 

 parietal placentas (Figs. 828, 831). The fertile stamen is adherent to 

 the style and forms with it the COLUMN or GYNOSTEMIUM ; this projects 

 more or less in the centre of the flower. The labellum, which serves 



