SECT. II PHANEROGAMIA 709 



Family 3. Amaryllidaceae. — Distinguished from Liliaceae by the iufeiior 

 ovar}-. Mostly tropical and sub-tropical. Leucojum (Fig. 770), the Snowdrop 

 {GaJanthus), and Xarcissus resemble the bulbous Liliaceae in habit. Agave, large 

 plants with succulent leaves from the warmer regions of America, provide fibres. 

 A. mexicana provides the national drink of Mexico (pulque), obtained by fermenting 

 the sap that flows on cutting off the inflorescence. Species of Ayave are naturalised 

 in the Mediterranean region, but none are native there. 



Family 4. Iridaeeae. — Distinguished from Liliaceae by their 

 inferior ovary and by the suppression of the inner whorl of the 

 androecium (Fig. 771). The two whorls of the perianth are not 

 always similar. Anthers extrorse. The leaves of the Iridaeeae are 

 always sessile ; the underground portion is a tuberous or elongated 

 rhizome, rarely a bulb. Capsule loculicidal. 



This family is mainly represented in the Cape and the warmer parts of America. 



Crocus sativus, Saffron (Fig. 772) is a plant which has long been cultivated in 

 the East ; it has a tuberous rhizome and narrow, grass-like leaves. The flowers 

 are sterile unless pollinated with pollen of the wild form. The large stigmas 

 furnish Safl'ron. Other species are cultivated as ornamental plants. 



Iris, leaves overlapping in two ranks. The leaf-sheath surrounds the thick 

 fleshy rhizome, while the sword-shaped blade stands erect and has its two lateral 

 surfaces alike (Fig. 773). Outer perianth segments bent downwards, inner erect. 

 The three anthers are roofed over by the three leaf-like styles. In Gladiolus the 

 flowers are dorsiventral, and the dissimilarity of the perianth leaves is more 

 marked. 



Official. — Crocus satixus yields saffkon. 



Family 5. Dioscoreaceae.— Climbing shrubs with diclinous flowers, sagittate or 

 cordate, frequently net-veined leaves and large, tuberous rhizomes. Mostly tropical. 

 Dioscorea batatas, Yam (China) ; Tcstudinaria cleplmntipes is often cultivated. 

 Tamus communis, the Bryony, is British. 



Family 6. Bromeliaceae (^•^). — Mostly epiphytes; flowers hermaphrodite, position 

 of ovary variable. Limited to tropical and sub-tropical parts of America. The 

 leaves are in rosettes and are typically xerophytic ; in the forms which grow in 

 the soil they are spiny. Ananussa satixa is cultivated and has spread in the wild 

 state in the tropics ; its inflorescence forms the Pineapple. 



Order 6. Seitamineae 



Tropical plants, sometimes of large size, in a few cases arborescent. 

 Flowers dorsiventral or asymmetrical. Perianth difterentiated into 

 calyx and corolla. Androecium greatly reduced ; some of the 

 stamens represented by staminodes, and resembling the segments 

 of the corolla. Ovary inferior, trilocular. Seeds with perisperm. 



Family 1. Musaceae. — The Banana {Musa) is one of the most important plants 

 of all tropical countries. The apparent, erect stem is formed of the closely over- 

 lapping, sheathing bases of the large leaves. Inflorescence, terminal. Fruit, a 

 berry. M. textilis yields Manilla Hemp. 



Familv 2. Zingiberaeeae. — Flowers in spikes, which in some cases 



