MONOCOTYLEDONS LILIACE^E DIAGRAM 1 7 



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CLASS OF MONOCOTYLEDONS; 



OR, PLANTS THE SEED OF WHICH HAS ONLY ONE COTYLEDON. 



Some of the families of Monocotyledons have very beautifully 

 coloured flowers, as the lily, the flag, and the tulip ; and other 

 families, such as the grasses, have inconspicuous flowers. These 

 latter are generally the most useful families to man. 



FAMILY LIIiIACE-ffi. 



This family includes a great number of orna- 

 mental plants like the tulip, the lily, and the 

 hyacinth, and other plants which are used for food 

 or condiments, such as the shalot, leek, garlic, 

 and onion. The aloe also belongs to the lili- 

 acese. The nerves or veins of their leaves are all 

 parallel, a character common to nearly all the 

 monocotyledons. In the Lilies the stein arises 

 annually from an underground bulb, and dies 

 down in the autumn. The liliaceae have no 

 calyx. They have a beautiful corolla with six 

 divisions ; there are six stamens, and the fruit 

 is a capsule with three valves and three divisions, 

 or a berry. The corolla is inserted below the 

 ovary. 



The Tulip is remarkable for its gay colours, 

 but it is of no special use, nor is the lily. 



