GROUP V. AXGIOSI'ERM.E ! MONOCOTYLEDONES. 



499 



Dasylirion in greenhouses. Dracaena Draco is the Dragon's Tree of the 

 Canary Islands, yielding a red gum-resin (Dragon's blood). 



Sub-order 6. ASPARAGOIDE^, with a subterranean rhizome bearing aerial 

 leafy stems : fruit baccate. 



Aspararjtis officinalis is the Asparagus ; the young shoots, which spring 

 from the underground rhizome, are eaten. Convallaria majalis is the Lily 

 of the Valley. Maianthemum bifolium has a dimerous flower. Polygonatum 

 is Solomon's Seal. Ruscus aculeatus (the Butcher's Broom), and other 

 species, are small shrubs, with leaf-like branches (phylloclades, see p. 28), 

 on which the diclinous flowers are borne in the axils of minute leaves. 

 Paris quadrifolia (Herb Paris) is poisonous : the flowers are tetramerous, or 

 exceptionally trimerous or pentamerous : they are terminal, and the stem 

 beneath bears four (or three or five) leaves in a whorl beneath the flower 

 (Fig. 310) ; the venation of the leaves is reticulate. 



Maianthemum" bifolium, Paris qitadrifolia, Runcus aculeaftts, Convallaria 

 majalis, Polygonatum verticillatum, 

 mult iflor um, and officinal e, are wild 

 in England. 



Sub-order 7. SMILACOIDE^E, scram- 

 bling shrubs, having 3-5 ribbed 

 leaves with reticulate venation. 

 The roots of species of Smilax con- 

 stitute Sarsaparilla. 



Order 2. JUNCACE.E. Floral 

 formula, K%, C3, 43 + 3, G. 



Plants of a grass-like aspect ; 

 they differ from the preceding 

 order in the dry and glumaceous 

 character of the perianth, and 

 in the starchy endosperm. The 

 leaves are linear or tubular ; the 

 inflorescence is an anthela (see p. 442). 



The species of Luzula, which has a unilocular three-seeded ovary, mulii- 

 flora, pilosa, campesfris, and sylvatica, are common in woods and on heaths. 

 Juncus has a trilocular many-seeded ovary ; plants of this genus are called 

 Hushes ; J. glaucus and e/usus have a tubular stem and leaves, and a 

 terminal inflorescence which is displaced laterally by a tubular bract 

 which appears to be a prolongation of the stem ; they are common in wet 

 fields ; J. bufonius, by waysides. 



FIG. 310. Diagram of the flower of Part* 

 quadrifolia. ; I the foliage-leaves ; nj) the 

 outer ; tp the ioner whorl of the perianth ; 

 an outer; in inner whorl of stamens. 

 (After Sachs.) 



