NATURAL ORDERS. 289 



Dvanching. Leaves^ iyiflorescence^ and flowers as iu Zingibera- 

 cege. Stamens 3, petaloid, one of the laterals and the interme- 

 diate one sterile, and one lateral fertile ; filament entire, or 2- 

 lobed; anther on the margin of the filament. Ovary 1-3- 

 celled ; ovules solitary, erect, or numerous, and attached to the 

 axis of each cell ; style petaloid, or swollen ; stigma the naked 

 ?i^QX. of the style, or hollow, hooded, and incurved. Fruit cap- 

 sular. Seeds round ; embryo straight, in hard, somewhat floury 

 albumen. (See Flate III., Fig. 4.) 



a. Properties : the roots or rhizomes abound in starch. 

 Genera. — Thalia, Canna. 



543. MusACE^, tlie Banana Tribe. — Stemless or nearly stem- 

 less plants. Leaves sheathing at the base forming a spurious 

 stem, often very large, with fine parallel veins at right-angles 

 w^ith the midrib. Flowers spathaceous. Perianth adherent, 6- 

 parted, petaloid, more or less irregular, in 2 whorls. Stamens 

 6, inserted on the middle of the divisions of the ]3erianth. 

 Ovary inferior, 3-celled ; ovules numerous ; style simple ; stigma 

 3-lobed. Fridt capsular or succulent. Seeds sometimes sur- 

 rounded by hairs ; testcc usually crustaceous ; einbryo erect in 

 the axis of mealy albumen. (See Plate L, Fig. 4.) 



a. Properties : valuable for the abundance of nutritive food afforded by the fruit, 

 and for the many domestic purposes to which the leaves of some species are ap- 

 plied. 



Genera. — Musa. 



544. Amaryllidace^, the Amaryllis Tribe. — Bulbous plants ; 

 roots sometimes fibrous. Lea/ves sessile, elongated, alternate, 

 radical leaves sheathing. Flovm^s with spathas ; panicled, 

 corymbed, or solitary. Perianth 6-parted. Stamens G, insert- 

 ed into the tube of the perianth ; anthers introrse. Ovary 3- 

 celled ; style 1 ; stigma simple or 3-parted. Fruit a 3-celled, 

 3-valved capsule, or berry. Seeds with a fleshy albumen ; em- 

 bryo nearh^ straight. This family has been divided into 4 tribes, 

 or sub-orders : 1, Amaryllse, bulbs, flowers without a corona; 

 2, i^arcissse, bulbs, flowers with a corona; 3, Alstromerise, 

 fibrous roots, sepals difterent in form from the petals ; 4, Aga- 

 veae, roots fibrous ; sepals and petals alike. (See Plate YL, 

 Fig. 2.) 



a. Properties : the bulbs of many species have narcotic poisonous qualities. 

 Genera. — 1. Aharyll.e — Galanthus, Amaryllis, Crinum. %. Narcissi — Pancra 

 tium, ]S"arcis3U3, Hypoxis. 3. Agave^e — Agave. 



545. Bromeliace^, the Piner apple Tribe. — Stemless or short- 

 stemmed plants. Leaves radical, ensiform, channeled, often 

 covered with scales, and spiny at the edge or point. Perianth 

 tubular, 6-parted, in 2 whorls. Calyx persistent, more or less 

 adherent to the ovary. Petals 3, colored, withering or decidu- 



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