390 



BOTANY 



being a little oval body a millimetre or so in diameter. Two species occur in 

 the Eastern United States. The flowers in the Lemnaceae consist of a single 

 carpel or stamen, the flowers being grouped in a small inflorescence. 



Order VII. Liliiflorae 



The Liliiflorae are often considered to be the " typical " Monocotyledons, and 

 comprise many of the most familiar and showy forms, both wild and cultivated. 



With few exceptions the flowers 

 show the typical arrangement, i.e. 

 five whorls of three members (Fig. 

 350). The two whorls of perianth 

 leaves may be alike, or occasionally 

 the outer ones are smaller and green 

 (Trillium). Within the order are 

 found all gradations between the 

 radially symmetrical, hypogynous 

 flowers of the true Lilies, and the 

 epigynous, zygomorphic flowers of 

 many Iridacese. The fruit is usually 

 a dry, trilocular capsule, but it may 

 be a pulpy berry, as in Asparagus, 

 or Clintonia. The embryo is small, 

 surrounded by abundant endosperm. 

 The Liliiflorse are, for the most 

 part, perennial herbaceous plants, 

 sending up each season annual 

 flowering shoots. In the warmer 

 parts of the world they may become 

 small trees, like the Yuccas of the 

 Southwestern States, and the Dracae- 

 nas and Cordylines of the Old World. 

 A small number of forms (Smilax, 

 Dioscorea, Bryonia) are climbers. 



The families included in the Lilii- 

 florae are the Juncaceae, Liliaceae, 

 Amaryllidaceae, Iridaceae, Diosco- 

 reaceae, Taccaceae, and Ilsemadora- 

 ceae. 



Fam. i. Juncaceae. The Rushes 

 (Juncacese) are insignificant plants, 

 resembling in their floral structure 

 the more showy Liliaceae, but with 

 the perianth composed of inconspicu- 

 ous scalelike leaves. They are some- 

 times considered to be degraded Liliacese, but this is open to question. 



Fam. 2. Liliaceae. This is the largest family of the order, and includes 

 many of the most beautiful of all flowers. They are especially well developed 

 in many semi-arid countries, like the Mediterranean region of Europe, and 

 California. The true Lilies (Liliura), Tulip, Hyacinth, Erythronium, Trillium, 

 are familiar examples. Among the characteristic western genera may be men- 

 tioned Calochortus (Fig. 350), Brodiaea (Fig. 366), Fritillaria, and Yucca. 



FIG. 364. Anthurium Veitchii. 

 Inflorescence and leaf, reduced. 

 (After BAILEY.) 



