18 



A SYNOPSIS OF THE PLANT KINGDOM 



tris, mixed with cereals, according to Linnaeus, serve 

 for food among the Laps and Finns. Portland arrow- 

 root is derived from Arums. The delicately flavored, 

 juicy fruits of Monstera deliciosa are eaten in Mexico. 

 The shoots of Xanthosoma sagiUifolium, called caraibe 

 cabbage, are eaten as a vegetable in the Antilles. The 

 aerial roots of aroids are used to tie bundles of sarsa- 

 parilla sent to Europe and America. 



Because of their odd habit and strange appearance, 

 as well as, in some cases, for real beauty, many Araceae 

 are in cultivation, mostly as conservatory plants. 

 Many genera are in the American trade. Among these 

 are: Acorus (Sweet Flag); Alocasia; Amorphophallus 

 (Devil's Tongue, Snake Palm, Stanley's Wash ; Tub); 

 Anthurium; Arisama (Indian Turnip, Jack-in-the- 

 Pulpit, Dragon Root, Fringed Calla); Arum (Black 

 C;il!a. Solomon's Lily, Lord and Ladies, Cuckoo Pint, 

 Wake-Robin of England); Biarum; Caladium; Calla; 

 Colocasia; Dieffenbachia; Helicodiceros (Hairy Arum) ; 

 Monstera (Ceriman, Shingle Plant); Nephthytis; Oron- 

 tiuiu (Golden Club); Peltandra (Water Arum); Pistia 

 (Water Lettuce, Tropical Duckweed); Pothos; Sauro- 

 matum; Schizmatoglottis; Spathiphyllum; Symplocar- 

 pus, or Spathyema (Skunk Cabbage); Xanthosma 

 (Malanga); Zantedeschia, or Richardia (Calla Lily, 

 Lily-of-the-Nile). 



32. Lemnaceae (from the genus Lemna, an old Greek 

 name of uncertain origin). DUCKWEED FAMILY. Fig. 10. 

 Tiny aquatic plants floating or submerged, the plant 

 body reduced to an oval or oblong, flat or globular thallus, 

 which multiplies rapidly by marginal buds, and may or 

 may not bear 1 or more roots qn the under side: flowers 

 unisexual, naked, monoecious; the staminate consisting 

 of 1 stamen; the pistillate of 1 flask-shaped, 1-celled 

 pistil, with several ovules; the latter orthotropous or 

 anatropous, the micropyle transformed into a cap: fruit 

 a several-seeded utricle. 



There are 3 genera and about 25 species, distributed 

 over the whole earth, except the arctics. The family is 

 related to the Aracea;, from which it is supposed to 

 have degenerated. The flowers, which rarely occur, are 

 borne in minute pits in the edge or upper surface of 

 the thallus, either 1 staminate and 1 pistillate, or 2 

 staminate and 1 pistillate together; in some genera 

 provided with a spathe corresponding to the spathe in 

 the Araceae. The roots, when present, are balancing 

 organs to resist the upsetting of the plant by the waves. 

 Wolffia is the tiniest flowering plant, the whole 

 plant sometimes in size only half the diameter of a 

 pinhead. 



By the very rapid vegetative multiplication of some 

 species, ponds are often completely covered with a 

 green coating, and these plants may then become of 

 economic importance. 



Lemna and Spirodela are often grown in aquaria. 



Order 18. FARINOSE 



33. Bromeliaceas (from the genus Bromelia, in honor 

 of Olaus Bromel, a Swedish botanist). PINEAPPLE 

 FAMILY. Fig. 10. Herbs or subshrubs, mostly epiphytic: 

 leaves usually basal, alternate, linear, trough-like, 

 sheathing at the base, mostly stiff and spiny-serrate, 

 usually covered in part or all over with peltate scale-like 

 hairs or glands: flowers in spikes, racemes, panicles or 

 heads, often in the axils of imbricated, highly colored, 

 bracts, usually bisexual, regular, epigynous or hypogy- 

 nous; perianth of 6 parts, definitely differentiated into 

 calyx and corolla; partsfreeor united; stamens 6, often 

 borne on the perianth; anthers introse; ovary inferior 

 or superior, 3-celled; ovules many; style 1; stigmas 3: 

 fruit a berry or capsule, more or less surrounded by 

 the persistent perianth; seeds albuminous. 



The family has 40 genera and about 900 species, 

 almost exclusively of tropical and subtropical Amer- 

 ica. Tillandsia usneoides reaches Florida and Texas. 



Tillandsia is the largest genus with 120 species. The 

 family is closely related to the Liliaceae and Amaryl- 

 lidacea;. The peculiar stiff leaves, the conspicuous 

 bracts, the herbaceous calyx, the mealy endosperm, 

 and, in general, the epiphytic habit, are distinc- 

 tive. There are few families more easily recognized 

 than this. 



The most important economic species is the pine- 

 apple (Ananas sativus), the fruit of which is an impor- 

 tant article of commerce. Its unripe juice is used as a 

 vermifuge and diuretic. Florida or Spanish moss 

 (Tillandsia itsneoides) is used in the preparation of 

 a stiptic ointment. It is also used to stuff mattresses, 

 under the name of vegetable hair. Billbergia linctoria is 

 the source of a dye. The leaves of pineapple yield a 

 beautiful fiber. Bromelia Pinguin is a vermifuge em- 

 ployed in the West Indies. 



There are several genera grown in America, all for 

 ornamental purposes except the pineapple. Among these 

 are: jEchmea; Ananas (Pineapple) ; Billbergia; Bromelia 

 (Pinguin of Jamacia, Wild Pine) ; Cryptanthus; Dyckia; 

 Guzmannia; Nidularium; Pitcairnia; Tillandsia (Span- 

 ish Moss, Florida Moss, Long Moss) ; Vriesia. 



34. Commelinaceae (from the genus Commelina dedi- 

 cated to J. and G. Commelin, Dutch botanists of the 

 early 18th century). SPIDEBWOBT FAMILY. Fig. 10. Herbs 

 with knotty stems, and somewhat sheathing, alternate, 

 flat or channeled, cauline leaves : flowers usually bisexual, 

 almost or quite regular, hypogynous; perianth of 6 

 parts, in 2 series, differentiated into a green calyx and 

 colored corolla; the petals separate or united into a tube, 

 mostly quickly disappearing, and dissolving into a viscid 

 liquid; stamens 6, or reduced to 3, with or without 

 staminodia; some anthers often sterile and altered; the 

 filaments usually provided with characteristic long 

 hairs; ovary superior, 2 3-celled, few-seeded; style 1; 

 stigma usually captitate: fruit a capsule. 



Twenty-five genera and about 300 species occur, 

 widely distributed in the tropics and subtropics. 

 Eleven species reach the northeastern United States. 

 The largest genus is Commelina, with 88 species. The 

 family is not closely related to any other. The general 

 habit, the complete differentiation of the perianth into 

 calyx and corolla, the slight irregularity of the flower, 

 the peculiar stamen-hairs, and the transformed anthers, 

 are together distinctive. The peculiar deliquescent 

 character of the petals in many genera is of interest. 



The rhizomes of several species of Commelina con- 

 tain starch, besides the mucilage, and arc eaten. The 

 rhizome of C. Rumphii is an emmenagogue. The tubers 

 of Aneilema medicum are used in China for coughs 

 and lung diseases. A decoction of Cyanotis axillaris 

 is used by the Indians for dropsy. The family is 

 most important from the point of view of orna- 

 mental use. 



Several genera are grown in America, all for ornament. 

 Among these are: Aneilema; Cochliostema; Commelina 

 (Day Flower); Dichorisandra; Tradescantia (Spider- 

 wort, Wandering Jew); Zebrina (Wandering Jew). 



35. Pontederiaceae (from the genus Pontederia, 

 named in honor of Pontedcra, professor at Padua in 

 the 18th century). PICKEREL- WEED FAMILY. Fig. 11. 

 Upright or floating, fleshy, water- or swamp-p lants: 

 leaves alternate; petioles sheathing; blade cordate, 

 oval, or orbicular, or reduced to the linear flattened 

 petiole: flowers not bracted, bisexual, irregular, hypogy- 

 nous; perianth of 6 similar parts, in 2 whorls, more or 

 less connate, persistent; stamens 3 or 6, rarely 1, inser- 

 ted unequally on the perianth-tube; anthers introse: 

 ovary superior, 3-celled and ovules many, or 1-celled 

 and 1-seeded; style 1; stigmas 3: fruit a capsule, or an 

 achene enveloped by the fleshy persistent base of the 

 perianth; embryo as long as the endosperm. 



The family contains 6 genera and about 20 species, of 

 which 9 belong to the genus Heteranthera, and about 

 5 to Eichhornia. They are distributed in the swamps of 



