20 



A SYNOPSIS OF THE PLANT KINGDOM 



leaves of Allium sp. (onion, leek, eschalot or shallot, 

 rochambole) ; shoots of Polygonatum, Europe, United 

 States; shoots of Asparagus officinalis; roots of Cordy- 

 line sp., in South Sea Islands, and there called ti. The 

 seeds of Ruscus are a substitute for coffee. 



A few have been used for other purposes: Roots of 

 Yucca for soap; fibers of New Zealand flax (Phcmnium 

 tenax) for fabrics; and the fragrant root of Dianella 

 nemorosa for incense. 



For ornament, great numbers of genera and species 

 are in cultivation. 



Very many genera are in cultivation, some common, 

 for ornamental purposes unless otherwise stated . Among 

 these are Agapanthus (African Lily, Lily-of-the-Nile) ; 

 Aletris (Colic Root), native; Allium (Onion, Chives, 

 Gives, Garlic, Leek, Shallot), ornament and food; 

 Asphodeline (True Asphodel, King's Spear); Asphodelus 

 (Branching Asphodel) ; Bessera (Mexican Coral Drops) ; 

 Brevoortia (Floral Fire-Cracker) ; Brodisea; Calochortus 

 (Star Tulip, Globe Flower, Mariposa Lily, Butterfly 

 Tulip) ; Camassia (Camass) ; Chionodoxa (Glory-of-the- 

 Snow); Chlorpgalum (Soap Plant, Amole); Clintonia, 

 native; Colchicum (Meadow Saffron, Autumn Crocus); 

 Cordyline (Dracaena); Dasylirion; Dracaena (Dragon 

 Tree); Erythronium (Dog's-tooth Violet, Adder's 

 Tongue); Eucomis (Royal Crown, Pineapple Flower); 

 Fritillaria (Crown Imperial, Black Lily, Checkered 

 Lily); Funkia (Day Lily, Plantain Lily); Galfconia 

 (Giant Summer Hyacinth); Gasteria; Gloriosa (Climb- 

 ing Lily); Haworthia; Helonias (Swamp Pink, Stud 

 Pink); Hemerocallis (Yellow Day Lily, Lemon Lily); 

 Hyacinthus (Hyacinth); Kniphofia (Red-hot-poker 

 Plant, Torch Lily, Flame Flower); Lachenalia (Cape 

 Cowslip) ; Lapageria (Chilean Bellflower) ; Leucocrinum 

 (Sand Lily); LiUum (Lily, Easter Lily, Madonna Lily, 

 Tiger Lily, Japan Lily, Turk's-cap Lily); Littonia 

 (Climbing Lily); Maianthemum (False Lily-of-the- 

 Valley, Two-leaved False Solomon's Seal), native; 

 Medeola (Indian Cucumber Root), native; Melanthium 

 (Bunch Flower); Milla (Mexican Star, Mexican Star of 

 Bethlehem, Frost Flower, Floating Star); Muscari 

 (Grape Hyacinth, Musk Hyacinth, Feathered Hya- 

 cinth); Narthecium (Bog Asphodel) ; Nolina; Nothos- 

 cordurn (Yellow False Garlic, Streaked-leaved Garlic) ; 

 Oakesia (Wild Oats), -native; Ornithogalum (Star of 

 Bethlehem); Paradisea (St. Bruno's Lily, St. Bernard's 

 Lily); Paris (Herb Paris, Love Apple, True Love); 

 Phormium (New Zealand Flax); Polygonatum (Solo- 

 mon's Seal); Ruscus (Butcher's Broom); Sansevieria 

 (Bow-string Hemp) ; Scilla (Squill, Wild Hyacinth, Blue- 

 bell, Harebell, Spanish Jacinth, Sea Onion, Starry Hya- 

 cinth, Cuban Lily, Hyacinth of Peru, Peruvian Jacinth) ; 

 Semele (Climbing Butcher's Broom) ; Smilacina (False 

 Solomon's Seal), native; Smilax; Streptopus (Twisted 

 Stalk), native; Tricyrtis (Toad Lily); Trillium (Wake- 

 Robin, Birthroot, Bethroot, White Wood Lily, Ground 

 Lily), native; Triteleia (Spring Star-Flower) ; Tulipa 

 (Tulip); Urginea (Sea Onion, Squills); Uvularia (Bell- 

 wort, Wild Oats), native; Veratrum (False Hellebore, 

 White Hellebore, Green Hellebore, Black Hellebore, 

 Indian Poke); Xanthorrhoea (Grass Tree, Grass Gum, 

 Black Boy); Xerophyllum (Turkey's Beard); Yucca 

 (Spanish Bayonet, Adam's Needle, Bear Grass, Silk 

 Grass); Zygadenus (Fly-poison). 



38. Amaryllidaceae (from the genus Amaryllis 

 named for a nymph celebrated by Virgil). AMARYLLIS 

 FAMILY. Fig. 11. Caulescent or acaulescent herbs, bul- 

 bous- or fibrous-rooted: leaves alternate, elongated, 

 entire: flowers bisexual, regular or irregular, epigynous, 

 usually borne singly or in clusters from a spathe-like 

 bract; perianth of 6 similar parts in 2 series, usually 

 connate below into a tube and sometimes with a tubular 

 or cup-shaped crown in the throat; stamens 6, some 

 occasionally staminodial ; anthers introrse ; ovary inferior, 

 3-celled; ovules numerous, anatropous; style 1; stigmas 

 1-3: fruit a capsule, rarely a berry; seeds albuminous. 



There are 71 genera and about 800 species, widely 

 distributed but most abundant in the steppe regions 

 of the tropics and subtropics. Five species are found in 

 the northeastern United States. The largest genera 

 are Crinum with 60 species, and Hypoxis, and Hip- 

 peastrum with 50 species each. The family is most 

 closely related to the Liliaceze; less closely to the 

 Iridacese. The 6-parted perianth, 6 stamens with 

 introrse anthers, and inferior 3-celled ovary, are together 

 distinctive. 



The bulbs or rootstocks of some species have been 

 used in medicine. Those of Narcissus Pgeudo-Narcistvi 

 and Leucoium vernum are vigorous emetics. Those of 

 Crinum zeylanicum of the Moluccas, Amaryllis liilln- 

 donna, of the Cape of Good Hope, and Buphane toxi- 

 caria of South Africa arc violent poisons. The latter 

 is used by the Kafirs to poison their arrows. In South 

 America the farinaceous tubers of the Alstrcemeri:c are 

 eaten. The most important plants are the Yuccas. 

 From the terminal bud of these, a sugary liquid is 

 obtained which by the Mexicans is made into a fer- 

 mented drink, called pulque; when distilled this drink 

 is called mescal. The juice of the leaves has been used 

 for syphilis, scrofula, and cancers. The leaf-fibers 

 yield vegetable silk or sisal hemp, and are also made 

 into paper. Razor-strops and cork are made from the 

 pith. The flowers are sometimes boiled and eaten. 



Forty or more genera are in cultivation in America, as 

 ornamental plants in greenhouse and garden. Among 

 these are: Agave (Century Plant, Sisal Hemp, Pulque 

 Plant); Alstroemeria; Amaryllis (Belladonna Lily) ; 

 Beschorneria; Bomarea; Bravoa (Mexican Twin 

 Flower); Cooperia (Evening Star, Giant Fairy Lily); 

 Crinum (St. John's Lily, Florida Swamp Lily) ; Eucharis 

 (Amazon Lily, Star of Bethlehem) ; Eurycles (Brisbane 

 Lily) ; Furcrsea; Galanthus (Snowdrop) ; Griffinia (Blue 

 Amaryllis); Hoemanthus (Blood Lily); Hippeastrum 

 (Amaryllis, Lily-of-the- Palace, Barbadoes Lily); Hy- 

 menocallis (Spider Lily, Sea Daffodil) ; Hypoxis (Star 

 Grass), native; Leucoium (Snowflake); Lycoris (Golden 

 Spider Lily); Narcissus (Narcissus, Jonquil, Daffodil, 

 Pheasant's Eye); Nerine (Guernsey Lily); Pancratium 

 (Spider Lily, Spirit Lily); Polianthes (Tuberose); 

 Sprekelia (Jacobsean Lily); Tecophilsea (Chilean Cro- 

 cus) ; Vallota (Scarborough'Lily) ; Zephyranthes (Zephyr 

 Flower, Fairy Lily, Atamasco Lily). 



39. Taccaceae (from the genus Tacca, from the Malay 

 name). TACCA FAMILY. Fig. 12. Herbaceous plants: 

 leaves large, entire, or commonly pinnatifid or bipinna- 

 tifid, all basal: flowers saucer- or urn-shaped, bisexual, 

 regular, epigynous; perianth of 6 nearly separate simi- 

 lar parts in 2 series; stamens 6, borne on the base 

 of the perianth ; filaments queerly broadened and 

 cucullate; ovary inferior, 1-celled, or incompletely 3- 

 celled; ovules numerous; placenta; parietal; style um- 

 brella-like, the terminal disk variously lobed, and bear- 

 ing the peculiar stigmatic pores beneath: fruit a capsule 

 or berry; seed albuminous. 



Taccaceaj has 2 genera and 10 species, inhabitants 

 of the tropics of both hemispheres, mostly of the 

 Malay archipelago. A very distinct family of doubtful 

 relationship, even suggesting several Dicotyledonous 

 families, but probably close to the Dioscoriacese and 

 Amaryllidaceae. The acaulescent habit, the epigynous 

 bisexual flowers, the six queer stamens, and the 1-celled, 

 many-ovuled ovary, are together distinctive. 



Several species of Tacca, e. g., T. pinnatifida, possess 

 tubers from which a starchy meal, called arrowroot, is 

 made in the East. Straw hats are made from the stems 

 of Tacca by the Tahitians. 



Tacca pinnatifida and T. cristate are cultivated 

 sparingly in America. 



40. Dioscoreaceae (from the genus Dioscorea, named 

 in honor of Dipscorides) . YAM FAMILY. Fig. 12. 

 Climbing or twining herbs or shrubs: leaves alternate, 

 mostly arrowhead-shaped: flowers bisexual or unisex- 



