14 



A SYNOPSIS OF THE PLANT KINGDOM 



ous marsh plants with milky juice: leaves mostly basal, 

 sheathing, with a scale in the axil; blade various, float- 

 ing or erect, often sagittate, varying in size and width 

 with the depth of the water, pahnately parallel-veined 

 with cross veinlets: flowers bisexual or unisexual, reg- 

 ular, hypogynous, in whorls of 3; sepals 3, more or less 

 hyaline; petals 3, white and petaloid; stamens 6 to 

 many, in several whorls; carpels very many, separate 

 or rarely coherent, spirally arranged or in a whorl, 

 1-ovuled, rarely 2-5-ovuled: fruit dry, rarely dehiscent; 

 seed basal, anatropous, exalbuminous; embryo curved. 



The family has 10 genera and about 50 species, dis- 

 tributed throughout the warmer and temperate zones. 

 The family is related to the Butomacese and Junca- 

 ginacese, which are all peculiar in having an axillary 

 intravaginal scale. The whorled flowers, differentiated 

 perianth, numerous carpels, and mostly solitary, basal, 

 exalbuminous seeds are distinctive. 



The acrid juice formerly led to the occasional use of 

 these plants in medicine. The tubers and rhizomes of 

 Sagittaria were eaten by the American Indians as 

 wappato ; and are cultivated in China. They are said 

 to come into the Chinese market at San Francisco, pre- 

 served in liquid. 



Two genera are in cultivation for water-gardens: 

 Alisma (Water Plantain), native; and Sagittaria 

 (Arrowhead), some native. 



25. Butomaceee (from the genus Butomus, signifying 

 ox + to cut, in reference to the rough leaves). Fig. 7. 

 Aquatic or marsh herbs: leaves basal, with an axial 

 scale, sometimes with milky juice; blade linear or 

 oval; veins pahnately parallel with cross veinlets, or 

 nearly veinless: flowers solitary or umbelled, bisexual, 

 regular, hypogynous; sepals 3, subherbaceous; petals 3, 

 colored, imbricated; stamens 9 or more, whorled; 

 carpels 6 or more, separate; ovules numerous, borne 



7. AUBMACE^E: 1. Alisma, a, inflorescence; b, flower; c, floral 

 diagram; d, fruit. 2. Sagittaria, a, fruit; 6, achene. BCTOMACE*: 

 3. Butomus, flower. HYDROCHA.RITACE.S:: 4. Etodea, female flower 

 branch. 5. Vallisneria, a, habit and flower; 6, female flower. 



between the margins and midrib of the carpel: fruit 

 dry, dehiscent; seed anatropous, exalbuminous; embryo 

 straight or curved. 



The family contains 4 genera and about 5 species, 

 natives of the temperate and tropical zones of the Old 

 World, and the tropics of the New World. The family 

 is related to the Alismaceae and Juncaginacese, from 

 the former of which it differs principally in the numerous 

 ovules and their peculiar position. 



The roots and seeds of Butomus were once used as 

 emollients. The baked roots of Butomus are eaten in 

 North Asia. 



Two genera are in cultivation for water-gardens: 

 Butomus (Flowering Rush), and Limnocharis (Water 

 Poppy). 



26. Hydrocharitaceae (from the genus Hydrocharis, 

 derived from the Greek meaning water and rejoice). 

 FROG'S-BIT FAMILY. Fig. 7. Submerged aquatic herbs, 

 rarely floating, the flowers usually at first inclosed by 

 a 2-bracted spathe: leaves alternate or opposite, very 

 diverse, cordate, linear or ribbon-like: flowers usually 

 unisexual, regular, epigynous; perianth in 2 series, 

 composed of 3 imbricated or valvate, calicoid parts, 

 and 3 convolute petaloid parts, rarely of only 3 divisions; 

 stamens in 1 to several series of 3, some often stami- 

 nodia; carpels 2-15; ovary inferior, 1-celled with parie- 

 tal placenta;, or imperfectly several-celled; stigmas 3- 

 6: fruit not regularly dehiscent, submerged, some- 

 what fleshy; seeds many, exalbuminous. 



There are 14 genera and about 40 species widely 

 distributed. The family is related to the Alismacez 

 and Naiadacesc. The differentiation into calyx and 

 corolla, the usually numerous stamens, the inferior, 

 1-celled ovary with parietal placenta;, and the exalbumi- 

 nous seeds are together characteristic. The plants of 

 this family are very diverse in appearance and often 

 striking. Fossil species are known. The pollination of 

 Vallisneria is very remarkable. (See Kerner and Oliver, 

 "Natural History of Plants"). 



Elodea canadensis, introduced into Europe from 

 America, has there become so abundant as to impede 

 navigation. The plants of Hydrocharis, Stratiotes, and 

 Elodea are used as fodder and as manure in Europe. 

 The starchy rootstocks of Ottelia and Boottia are 

 eaten in India as pot-herbs; also the tubers and fruits 

 of Enalus. The fibers from the leaves of Enalus are 

 used in India. Vallisneria alternifolia is employed in 

 India in the preparation of sugar. 



Five genera are in cultivation in America, mostly for 

 aquaria: Elodea(Waterweed, Ditch-Moss,Water Thyme, 

 Water Pest) ; Hydrocharis (Frog's-Bit) ; Limnobium 

 (American Frog's-Bit) ; Stratiotes (Water Soldier, Water 

 Aloe); Vallisneria (Eel-Grass, Tape-Grass). 



Order 14. GLUMIFLOILE 



27. Gramineae (from the Latin signifying grass). 

 GRASS FAMILY. Fig. 8. Herbs, or sometimes almost 

 tree-like: stems hollow or solid : leaves usually linear, in 

 2 ranks; composed of a sheath which is usually open 

 down the front, a sessile blade, and a ligule at the 

 juncture of blade and sheath: flowers bisexual or uni- 

 sexual, naked, or with the perianth reduced to 1-3 tiny 

 scales, borne in specialized spikelets composed of 3 01 

 more 2-ranked scales, the first 2 empty (called empty 

 glumes), the others termed flowering glumes or lem- 

 mas, and 1 scale on each secondary flower-bearing 

 axis, called a palet or palea; stamens 2-3, exserted for 

 wind-pollination; carpel 1; ovary 1, 1-celled, 1-ovuled; 

 stigmas feathery, usually 2: fruit a caryopsis; seed 

 with endosperm, and embryo with an absorbing organ. 



Gramineae is a family of 300-400 genera and per- 

 haps 5,000 species distributed all over the earth. The 

 largest genera are Panicum with 300-400 species, Pas- 

 palum with 160 species, and Poa with 100 species. The 

 Gramine and Cyperacete form a very distinct group. 

 The usually hollow stem, the open sheaths, the ligule, 

 the 2-ranked leaves, and the peculiar spikelet-structure 

 are the best characters to separate Graminea 1 from Cy- 

 peracese. The Indian corn is one of the most modified of 

 grasses. It is monoecious. The staminate spikelets are ar- 

 ranged on finger-like branches of the tassel at the sum- 

 mit of the plant; the pistillate spikelets are borne on the 

 cob, which is supposed to be composed of similar finger- 

 like portions grown together. Each spikelet is 2-flowered, 

 but only 1 flower bears an ovary. The kernel is this 

 ovary, and the chaff on the cob represent the glumes 

 and palets. The grasses are divided into 13 tribes. 



