508 MANUAL OF NATUKAL HISTOEY. 



one lateral being fertile ; anther on the 

 margin of the filament ; ovary 1-3-celled ; 

 ovules solitary or numerous ; style petaloid or 

 swollen ; stigma either the naked apex of the 

 style, or hollow, hooded, and incurved ; fruit 

 capsular, 3-celled, or baccate and 1 -celled ; 

 embryo without a vitellus. Found in tropical 

 America and Africa, and in India. The rlii- 

 zomes abound in starch, occuring as " Arrow- 

 root" in species of Maranta, and as "Tous- 

 les-mois " in Ganna. (Cannacece, Agardh.) 



2. FAMILY. Gingers (Zingiberacese). Herbaceous ; 



aromatic ; rhizome creeping ; leaves simple, 

 sheathing; inflorescence and flowers as in 

 Marantacece; stamens in two whorls, the 

 outer 3-partite, sterile, petaloid, the inner of 

 three, the central one being fertile ; anther 

 2-celled ; ovary 3-celled ; ovules several ; 

 style filiform ; stigma dilated, hollow ; fruit 

 capsular, 3-celled, occasionally berried ; em- 

 bryo with a vitellus. Chiefly tropical plants. 

 Afford Ginger (Zvngiber), Cardamoms, from 

 species of Amomum, Elettaria, and Reneal- 

 mm, and Turmeric from Curcuma longa. 

 (Drymyrhizece, Vent. Scitaminece, R Brown.) 



3. FAMILY. Bananas (Musacese). Herbs ; stemless 



or nearly so, with spurious stems of sheath- 

 ing leaf-stalks, from subterranean root-stocks ; 

 flowers spathaceous ; perianth 6-cleft, peta- 

 loid, in two whorls ; stamens six, some 

 always abortive ; anthers linear, 2-celled, 



