190 



GENERAL BOTANY 



(iii) The Spa- 

 dix, when the 

 main axis is en- 

 larged and fleshy, 

 and the flowers 

 are sunk in it, 

 as in plants of 

 the Arum family, 

 ACORUS (Sweet- 

 flag) CALLADIUM, 

 etc. There is 

 generally a large 

 leaf-like organ 

 called the spathe, 

 which encircles 

 and encloses the 

 spadix at least 

 before the flowers 

 are matured. A 

 spathe occurs 

 on many plants 

 which have not 

 a spadix in 

 EUCHARIS, and 

 CRINUM it is a 

 thin brown papery thing which covers the flower buds 

 at first, and hangs down untidily afterwards. In some 

 palms it is extremely large being two or three feet long 

 and quite thick, and in the Arum family it is often very 

 gaily coloured. For instance, in CALLA CETHIOPICA 

 (the so-called Arum-lily, which however, is not a Lily 

 .at all), it is large and white, and is the principal 



FIG. 45 

 ACHYRANTHES ASPEKA, L. 



