40 KEY AND FLORA 



Ovary 3-celled, 6-ovuled ; style short and stout, with a some- 

 what 3-lobed stigma. Fruit a 1-2-seeded berry. 



1. S. racemosa Desf. False Spikenard. A showy plant with 

 curved stem 1-3 ft. high, downy throughout. Leaves abundant, oval 

 or ovate-lanceolate, taj)er-j)ointed. Flowers small, in a compound 

 raceme. Berries pale red, speckled with dark red or purple. Moist 

 thickets. 



2. S. stellata Desf. Plant 1 ft. or less in height, nearly smooth. 

 Leaves broadly lanceolate, acute, clasping. Flowers few, larger than 

 in No. 1, in a simple raceme. Berries very dark red. Along river 

 banks. 



XX. MAIANTHEMUM Wiggers. (UNIFOLIUM) 



Stem low. Leaves 2-3, lanceolate or ovate, with a heart- 

 shaped base. Flowers small, white, solitary or in a sim- 

 ple raceme. Perianth 4-parted. Stamens 4. Ovary 2-celled; 

 stigma 2-lobed. 



1. M. canadense Desf. Two-Leaved Solomon's Seal, Wild 

 Lily of the Valley. Plant 3-6 in. high. Leaves very short- 

 petioled. Fruit a globular or ovoid berry, whitish, with brownish- 

 red blotches. Woods and shaded banks N. 



XXI. STREPTOPUS Micbx. 



Herbs with forking stems from a creeping rootstock. Leaves 

 clasping. Flowers small, borne singly or in pairs on peduncles 

 which arise above the leaf axils and which are sharply bent 

 or twisted near the middle. Anthers arrow-shaped. Ovary 

 3-celled, ripening into a red, many-seeded berry. 



1. S. amplexifolius DC. Liver Berry. Stem smooth, 2 ft. or 

 more high. Leaves smooth-margined. Flowers greenish-white. Damp 

 woods. 



2. S. roseus Michx. Liver Berry, Jacob's Ladder. Branches 

 with a few bristly hairs. Lower leaves margined with fine bristles. 

 Flowers reddish or purplish. Cold, damp woods N. 



XXII. POLYGON ATUM Hill. (SALOMONIA) 



Kootstock creeping, jointed, scarred. Stems simple, erect, 

 scaly below, leafy above. Leaves alternate, oval or oblong. 

 Flowers on axillary, 1-4-flowered, drooping, jointed peduncles. 



