GROL'P JV. — PHANKROGAMIA: ANGIOSPERM^ : MONOCOTYLEDONES. 559 



the diclinoua flowers are borne in the axils of minute leaves. Paris quadri/olia 

 (Herb Paris) is poisonous: the flowers are tetramerous, or exceptionally tri- 

 merous or pentamerous : they are terminal, and the stem beneath bears four 

 (or three or five) leaves in a whorl beneath the flower (Fig. 364) ; the venation 

 of the leaves is reticulate. Trillium, the Wood Lily, is frequently cultivated. 

 Aspidistra lurida is the Parlour Palm. 



Maiantliemum bifolium, Paris quadri/olia, Ruscus acideatus, Convallaria 

 viajalis, Polygonatum verticillatum, tnultijlorum, and officinale, are wild in 

 England. 



Sub-order 7. Smilacoideje, scrambling shrubs, having 3-5 ribbed leaves with 

 reticulate venation. The roots of species 

 of Smilax constitute Sarsaparilla. 



The other sub-orders are : Ophiopo- 

 GONOiDE-E, of which Ophiopogon and 

 Sansevieria are the more familiar 

 genera: Aletroide^, Aletris (Star- 

 Grass) cultivated in gardens: Luza- 

 RiAQOiDE/E, Lapageria cultivated in 

 greenhouses. 



Order 2. Juncace3;. Floral 

 formula, X3, C3, ^3 + 3, G^,y 

 Plants of a grass-like aspect; 

 they differ from the preceding 

 order in the dry and glumaceous 

 character of the perianth, and 

 in the starchy endosperm. The 

 leaves are linear or tubular ; 

 the inflorescence is an anthela (see p. 493) 



Fig. 364.— Diagram of the flower of Taris 

 quadrifolia; I the foliage-leaves; ap the 

 outer ; ip the inner whorl of the perianth ; 

 aa outer; ia inner whorl of stamens. 

 (After Sachs.) 



The species of Luzula, which has a unilocular three-seeded ovary, muWflora, 

 pilosa, campestris, and sylvatica, are common in woods and on heaths. Juncus 

 has a trilocular many-seeded ovary ; plants of this genus are called Rushes ; 

 J. glaucus and effasus have a tubular stem and leaves, and a terminal in- 

 florescence which is displaced laterally by a tubular bract which appears to be 

 a prolongation of the stem ; they are common in wet fields ; J. bufonius, by 

 waysides. 



Order 3. PoNTEDERiACEiE. Water-plants of tropical America, 

 with an irregular zygomorphic petaloid perianth : in other respects 

 they resemble the Liliacea?. 



The commoner genera are Pontederia and Eichhomia : Eichhornia azurea 

 and cragsipes are frequently cultivated as hot-bouse aquatics. 



V. s. B. 



O 



