TYPHACEAE. 



chaffy scales or want- 

 Order 1. Pandanai,es. 



t Carpels 1 or more, distinct (united, at least partially, in Vallisneriaceae and 

 others of the Naiadales, which are aquatic herbs, in Hydrocharitales and in some 

 palms) ; parts of the usually imperfect flowers mostly unequal in number. 



Inflorescence various, not a true spadix. 

 Leaves neither compound nor flabellate. 



Flowers not in the axils of dry chaffy scales. 



Endosperm mealy or fleshy ; perianth of bristles or 

 ing ; flowers monoecious, spicate or capl 

 tate. 

 Endosperm none, or very little. 

 Perianth rudimentary, or none. 

 Perianth present. 

 Flowers in the axils of dry chaffy scales, ar 

 ranged in spikes or spikelets. 

 Leaves pinnately or palmately compound, or fla 

 bellate 

 Trees or shrubs ; perianth of 2 series of 3 parts 

 Herbs ; perianth none, or rudimentary. 

 Inflorescence a fleshy spadix, with or without a spathe 

 or plants minute, floating free, the flowers few or 

 solitary on the margin or back of the thallus. 

 tt Carpels united into a compound ovary 

 flowers mostly in 3's or 6's. 

 Seeds with endosperm. 



Flowers regular, or nearly so (corolla Irregular In 

 Commelina). 

 Endosperm mealy ; ovary mostly superior. 

 Endosperm fleshy or horny. 

 Flowers very irregular ; ovary Inferior. 

 Seeds without endosperm, very numerous and minute 

 ovary inferior ; flowers very irregular. 



Order I. PANDANALES. 



The native Bermuda species is an aquatic or marsh plant, with narrow 

 elongated leaves and very small, imperfect and incomplete flowers in spikes. 

 The order takes its name from the Old World tropical genus Pandanus, the 

 so-called Screw-pine, species of which are commonly cultivated in gardens. 



Monoecious marsh or aquatic herbs, the perianth of bristles ; leaves unarmed. 



Fam. 1. Typhaceae. 

 Dioecious trees or shrubs ; perianth none ; leaves usually 



spinulose-margined. Fam. 2. Pandanaceab. 



Family 1. TYPHACEAE J. St. Hil. 



Cat-tail Family. 



Marsh or aquatic plants with creeping rootstocks, fibrous roots and 

 glabrous erect, terete stems. Leaves linear, flat, ensifonn, striate, sheath- 

 ing at the base. Flowers monoecious, densely crowded in terminal spikes, 

 which are subtended by spathaceous, usually fugacious bracts, and divided 

 at intervals by smaller bracts, which are caducous, the staminate spikes 

 uppermost. Perianth of bristles. Stamens 2-7, the filaments connate. 

 Ovary 1, stipitate, 1-2-celled. Ovultes anatropous. Styles as many as the 

 cells of the ovary. Mingled among the stamens and pistils are bristly 

 hairs, and among the pistillate flowers many sterile flowers with clavate 

 tips. Fruit nut-like. Endosperm copious. Only the following genus : 



1. TYPHA [Tourn.] L. 



Characters of the family, [Name ancient.] About 10 species, widely dis- 

 tributed in temperate and tropical regions. Type species: Tyyha latifolia L. 



