Seed Plants : Angiosperms 



307 





^^^i&>-y^ 



Fig. iSo. Transplanting lowland rice in the Philippines. The seed i- l,m niinatcil 

 in beds, and at the opening of the rainy season the seedhngs are transplanted to the 

 flooded fields. The rice plant and other members of the grass family furnish most 

 of the food supply of animals and men. 



The important families of the Monocotyledons. The 



Monocotyledons are usually grouped in about forty families, 

 four of which are of surpassing interest. These four famihes 

 are the palms, grasses, hlies, and orchids. 



The palm family. The palms form a large group abundant 

 throughout the tropics. They resemble the tree ferns and 

 cycads in having columnar, unbranched stems. The stem 

 increases in thickness during the first few years and then grows 

 only at the top. The leaves are often branched and of gigantic 

 size. In the fan palms they are rounded and split radially. 



Palms are very useful to the natives of the tropics, furnish- 

 ing much of the material for thatching roofs and for the weav- 

 ing of mats, hats, and bags. They also produce fruits and 

 seeds, Hke the date and coconut, that are most important 



