282 THE KINDS OF PLANTS 



indicates both the emphatic syllable and the length of the 

 Vowel. The grave accent ( v ) indicates a long vowel; the 

 acute ( / ), a short vowel. Terminal vowels are pro- 

 nounced in Latin words. The word officinale is pronounced 

 officin-dy-ly; aurea with aw as in Laura; Virginiana with 

 the a as in hay; alba, with a as in had; acutiloba with i 

 as in hill; minor with i as in mine; halimifblia with o as 

 in hole; Japonica with o as in con; rumex with u as in 

 tune; funkia with u as in run. 



Key to the twenty -five families as represented in the following pages 



a. CRYPTOGAMS: no flowers or seeds: propagating by means of 



spores I. Filices, p. 284 



- aa. PHEKgGAMS: bearing flowers and seeds./ 



Gymnosperms: seeds naked (not in ovaries), borne in cones 

 or berries: no conspicuous flowers: lvs. needle-shaped 



or scale-like: plants usually evergreen II. Coniferce, p. 280 



-jrs bb. Angiosperms: seeds borne in ovaries : flowers usually showy : 

 I lvs. very various, mostly deciduous. 



^g\ C. Monocotyledons: cotyledon one : lvs. mostly parallel-veined, 



\jf not falling with a distinct articulation: stem with scat - 



r tered flbro- vascular bundles (endogenous) and no separ- 

 able bark: fls. mostly 3-merous. -/ 

 d. Flowers small and inconspicuous, borne on a spadix 



attended by a corrolla-like spathe III. Aracece, p. 289 



dd. Flowers large and showy, not on spadiees. 

 E. Stamens 6, or rarely 4. 



f. Ovary free, or superior IV. Liliacece, p. 290 



ff. Ovary inferior V. Amaryllidacece, p. 295 



ee. Stamens 3 VI. Iridaceae, p. 296 



cc. Dicotyledons: cotyledons 2 or more: lvs. mostly netted- 

 A'eined, usually falling with a distinct joint or articula- 

 tion: stem with concentric layers of wood when more 

 than one year old (exogenous), and a distinct separable 

 bark: fls. mostly 5-merous or 4-merous. 

 d. Choripetalse : petals distinct or wanting (i. e., flowers 

 polypetalous, apetalous, or naked). 

 e. Flowers characteristically apetalous or even naked, 

 mostly small and often greenish (Apetalce). 

 f. Blossoms monoecious or dioecious, staminate and 

 sometimes pistillate in slender catkins: fruit a 

 1-seedednut: trees or shrubs. .VII. Cwpuliferce, p. 298 



