SECT. II 



PHANEROGAMIA 711 



resemble capitula. Flower dorsiventral. Calyx inconspicuous, tubular. 

 Corolla with three lobes. The outer whorl of the androecium is wanting 

 or represented by two lateral staminodes (Fig. 774, sst^, sst.^). Only 

 the posterior stamen of the inner whorl (st) is fertile ; the two others 

 are joined to form the brightly coloured, petaloid labellum (/). The 

 style lies in the tubular groove between the thecae of the stamen. 

 Fruit a capsule. Most plants of the family belong to tropical Asia. 



Zingiber officinal)', the Ginger, is an ancient cultivated plant of Southern Asia, 

 now cultivated tliroughout the tropics (Fig. 775). The flattened branched 

 rhizome is in contact with the soil by its narrow side. Leaves, two - ranked ; 

 main shoot continued by the growth of axillary buds of the lower surface. The 

 leafy shoots, in spite of their length, are composed of the sheaths of the large, 

 simple, entire leaves, the axis remaining extremely short. Bracts large and, 

 especially at their margins, brightly coloured. Flowers, bright yellow, with a 

 conspicuous, violet and spotted labellum. Elcttaria Cardamomum and Curcuma 

 have the stalks bearing their inflorescences similarly composed of leaf-sheaths. 

 Alpinia and Rcdychium, the latter of which is often cultivated, have on the 

 other hand normal, leafy shoots bearing the terminal inflorescence. 



Official. — Zingiber officinale, rhizome yields ginger. Elettaria Cardamomum 

 yields cardamom seeds. 



Family 3. Cannaceae. — Large-leaved herbs; often in cultivation. Flowers 

 asymmetrical (Fig. 776). Only one half stamen fertile (i.e. anther with only one 

 theca), the other half being petaloid. 



Family -4. Marantaceae. — Large-leaved herbs. Leaves with pulvinus at 

 junction of stalk and lamina. Stamen as in preceding order. Arrowroot is 

 obtained from Muranta arundinacca. 



Order 7. Gynandrae 



Family Orehidaeeae. — Perennial, herbaceous plants growing as 

 epiphytes or in the ground, with hermaphrodite, zygomorphic flowers. 

 Perianth petaloid, the posterior segment of the inner whorl developed 

 as a lip or labellum, which frequently bears a spur. (The " labellum " 

 of the Scitamineae being formed of two staminodes, is entirely 

 different morphologically.) Androecium formed of the three 

 anterior stamens only ; the middle stamen, belonging to the outer 

 Avhorl, is fertile ; the other two are represented by staminodes. Cypri- 

 pedium has these two lateral stamens of the inner whorl fertile. 

 Gynaeceum formed of three carpels, syncarpous ; ovary inferior, uni 

 locular. Fruit, a capsule. Seeds extremely numerous, borne on 

 parietal placentas (Fig. 777). The fertile stamen is adherent to the 

 style and forms with it the COLUMN or gynostemium ; this projects 

 more or less in the centre of the flower. The labellum, which serves 

 as an alighting place for visiting insects, becomes anterior either by 

 the torsion of the whole flo^\er through 180° (cf. Figs. 777-780) or 

 by the flower being bent backwards. 



