ORDER 148. LILIACE^E. 715 



Chatauque Co., K Y. (Torrey) to Car. along the Allegbanies. Lvs. 6 to 9' by 1 

 to 2', scarcely acuminate, striate. Scape 8 to 10' high, pubescent. Umbel coryn> 

 bous, with the fls. small (4 to 5'' long), white, spotted with purple inside, odorous. 

 Jn. (Convallaria umbellata Poir.) 



19. SMILACI'NA, Desf. SOLOMON'S SEAL. (Lat, diminutive of 

 smitax, but with no good reason.) Perianth of 6 equal, spreading 

 segments united at the base ; stamens 6, slender, perigynous, anthers 

 short ; ovary globous, 3-celled (rarely 2-celled), with 2 ovules in each 

 cell ; style short, thick ; berry globous, pulpy, 1 to 3-seeded. H Rhi- 

 zome creeping, thick or slender. St. leafy, bearing a terminal cluster 

 of white fls. 



Raceme compound. Stamens longer than the perianth. Ovules collateral No. 1 



Raceme simple. Stanicus shorter than the perianth, Ovules one above the other. ..Nos. 2, 3 



1 S. racemosa Desf. CLUSTERED SOLOMON'S SEAL. St. recurved; Ivs. oval, 

 acuminate, subsessile; rac. compound. Copses, common, Car. and u. S. Rhi- 

 zome thick, sweetish to the taste. Stem 18' 2f high, downy, always gracefully 

 recurved at top. Lvs. 4 to G' long, a third as wide, veined, sharply acuminate, 

 minutely downy. Petioles to 2" long. Fls. very mam', small, white in all their 

 parts, in an oval panicle of racemes. Berries red, dotted, subpellucid, as large as 

 peas. Apr. Jn. (Convallaria, L.) 



2 S. stellata Desf. St. erect; Ivs. many, lanceolate, acute, amplexicaul; fls. few, 

 in a simple raceme. Along rivers, Can. and Northern States, W. to the Miss. 

 St. 10 to 20' high, round and smooth. Lvs. 8 to 10, glabrous, glaucous beneath, 

 4 to 6' by 9 to 12", tapering gradually to the apex. Fls. white, about 8, 4'' diam. 

 Segm. lance-oblong, obtuse, twice longer than the stamens. Berries nearly black. 

 May, Jn. (Asteranthemum Kunth.) 



3 S. trifoliata Desf. Erect; Ivs. 3 or 4, oval-lanceolate, tapering to both ends, am- 

 plexicaul ; rac. terminal, simple. A delicate little species in mountain-swamps, 

 Can., N. Eng. (rare), ~W. to Wis. St. 3 to 5' high, pubescent, angular. Lvs. 2 

 to 3-j' long, a fifth to a third as wide, somewhat acuminate. Fls. 4 to 10, on 

 pedicels 2 to 7" long, white. Segm. obtuse, finally reflexed, a third longer than 

 the stamens. Ovary often but 2-celled, with 2 stigmas. Berry 2 or 3-seeded, 

 dark red. May. (Convallaria, L. Asteranthemum Kunth.) 



20. MAJAN'THEMUM, Moench. TWO-LEAVED SOLOMON'S SEAL. 

 (Gr. Ma/a, a mountain nymph, avOe^iov^ a flower.) Perianth of 4 ovate, 

 obtuse, spreading segments united at base ; stamens 4 ; ovary 2-celled ; 

 otherwise as in Smilacina. Rhizome creeping. St. bearing 2 or 3 Ivs. 

 Fls. in a simple terminal raceme. 



M. bifolmm DC. A small plant frequent upon the edges of woodlands, Can., N. 

 Eng., W. to Wis. St. angular, about 6' high. Lvs. 2, rarely 3, about 2' long, 

 as wide, ovate, distinctly cordate, sessile, or the lowest on a petiole. Rac. erect, 

 an inch long, consisting of 12 to 20 white fls. Berry small, round, and when 



, mature pale red, speckled with deep purple. May. 



21. ASPAR'AGUS, L. (The ancient Greek name.) Perianth 6- 

 parted, segments erect, slight spreading above ; stamens 6, perigynous ; 

 style very short; stigma's 3; berry 3-celled, cells 2-seeded. 2 Ptts. 

 fibrous, matted. Sts. with very narrow Ivs. and small fls. 



A. officinalis L. St. herbaceous, unarmed, very branching, erect ; Ivs. setaceous, 

 flexible, fasciculate. Escaped from gardens and naturalized on rocky shores. St. 

 2 to 4f high. Lvs. filiform, \ to !' long, pale pea-green. Fls. axillary, solitary 

 or in pairs. Berries globous, red. It is one of the oldest and most delicate culi- 

 nary vegetables, was no less praised in ancient Rome, by Pliny, Cato and other 

 writers, than at the present day. Diuretic. JL Eur. 



22. STREPTO'PUS, MX. TWIST-FOOT. (Gr. trrpe^w, to turn, TTOV^ 

 foot ; a twisted footstalk or peduncle.) Perianth C-parted, campanu- 



