AHlSiEMA. 231 



Analysis. — The Stein. The l^ase of the plant is enlarged 

 into a kind of bulb, wliich being solid (not made up of scales) 

 is called a conn. The shape of this bulb has given to it the 

 common name of Indian Turnip. It consists of starchy mat- 

 ter pervaded by a fluid fiercely acrid to the taste, and well mer- 

 iting the name " Dragon-root." * Encircling the edge of the 

 corm is a row of fibrous roots. Evidently the corm is the stem; 

 there is no other. A scape and 2 leaf-stalks arise from the 

 corm, the former inclosed below by the sheathing bases of tlie 

 stalks. The leaves are 2, trifoliolate. The leaflets are often as 

 large as 4' by 6', ovate, inclining to rhombic, entire, acuminate. 

 The venation is pinnate and netted, with marginal veins. 



l7iJloresce7ice. The scape varies in height from 6' to 

 2 feet, but is never so high as the leaves. At the top is a 

 club-shaped inflorescence called spadix, protected by a large 

 bract named spatlie. The spathe is convolute below and 

 inflected above, colored with stripes of purple within. The 

 spadix is naked and brown above, bearing the flowers below. 



The ^loipers are moncecious ( 8 , mojios, one, oilcos, house) 

 h, c, sometimes cUcecioiis (clis, Uyo, oil'oi, houses), d, e. AVhen 

 together, the 6 are above the ? , and consist of 4 or more ses- 

 sile anthers opening at the top. The $ fertile flower is 

 merely a 1-cellcd ovary with flat stigma and 2 or more ovules 

 erect from the bottom of the cell {g). 



A section of the seed [g) shows a straight embryo in the 

 midst of fleshy albumen with only 1 cotyledon. The fruit 

 is a mass of scarlet, several-seeded berries. 



The Name of this plant is Ariscema trlpliylhnn — Ari- 



* The Ptarch In many spocie>^ of (his plant Is n^od as fond. In (he rlnys of Queon 

 Elizabeth it furnished (he sdffeiiing for (lio enornions lawn ruffs (hen worn by iren- 

 tlenu'u and gcndewoinen. Thoso became so lar-e tha( it is said the Qn(>en placed a 

 guard at the ci(y gates (o cut down any mffs (hat were over a yard wldo. They needed 

 a very strong s(arch. such as was 7n:ido from (his roo( ; tholigh i( was, says' the old 

 herbalist, "most hur(fnll to the hands of (he lanndressc, for Jt chappeth, blis(ereth 

 and maketh the handes roagh and withall smarting." 



