G68 ORDER 131. -ARACE^E. 



GENERA. 



5 Spaclix enveloped in a spathe. (*) 



* Flowers covering only the base of the spadix. Perianth . . , ARIS JEMA. 1 



* Flowers covering the whole spadix, and (a) 



a MomEcious. Perianth 0. Berry 1-seeded. Spathe' convolute PELTANDRA. 2 



a Monoecious. Per. 0. Berry 3 to 6-seeded. Spathe large, revolute, white. EICHARDIA. 3 



a Perfect. Perianth 0. Spathe open, white CALLA. 4 



Perianth regular. Spathe shell-form, purplish SIMPLOCAKPUS. 5 



Spadix naked, having no spathe, terminal, yellow OEONTIUM. i> 



lateral ; scape leaf-like A.CORUS. 7 



1. ARIS^MA, Martins. DRAGON-ROOT. INDIAN TURNIP, (apov, 

 arum, cr//^a, a sign.) Spatbe convolute at base, limb arched or some- 

 what plain ; spadix covered with flowers below, naked and elongated 

 above ; flowers diclinous, achlamydeous ; $ above the fertile, each flower 

 consisting of 4 or more stamens with anthers opening at top ; ? ovary 

 1-celled; stigmas depressed; ovules 2 to 6, orthotropous, erect from the 

 base of the cell; berry red, 1 or few-seeded. 2 Scape arising from a 

 a corm or tuberous rhizome, sheathed with petioles of the radical, 

 veiny Ivs. (Arum, L.) 



1 A. triph^llum L. JACK-IN-THE-PULPIT. Acaulescent; Ivs. trifoliate, mostly 

 in pairs, leaflets oval, acuminate; spadix clavate, obtuse; spathe ovate, acuminate, 

 flat and inflected above. A curious and well known inhabitant of wet woodlands, 

 Can. to Ga, W. to the Miss. The stem is a rugous, fleshy, subterraneous conn 

 giving off radicles in a circle from the edge. Scape 8 12' high, erect, round, 

 embraced at the base by the long sheaths of the petioles. Leaflets, 2 7' long, 

 as wide. Spathe green without, usually variegated within with stripes of dark 

 purple alternating with pale green. Spadix much shorter than the spathe, vary- 

 ing from green to dark purple. Fruit a bunch of bright scarlet berries. The 

 corm loses its fiercely acrid principle by drying, and is then valued as a carmina- 

 tive, &c. Apr., Jn. (Arum, atrorubens Ait.) 



2 A. qmnatum. Acaulescent ; Ivs. with very long sheaths, in pairs one or both 

 quinate; Ifts. oval-lanceolate, acuminate, narrowed at base to a short petiole or 

 sessile ; spadix long and slender, nearly inclosed in the ovate-lanceolate spathe, 

 which is briefly inflected at the pointed apex ; berry 1 to 2-seeded. Ga. and S. 

 Car. (Curtis.) Scape 1 to 2f high. Lvs. with long petioles and still longer sheaths. 

 Lfts. 5 to 10' long, spathe 3 to 5' (Arum quinatum Nutt.) Perhaps identical with 

 A. pentaphyllum (Schott.) of India. 



(3. OBTUSO-QTJINATUM. Lfts. rounded-obtuse, mucronate, abruptly narrowed to 

 a long petiolule. Georgia (Feay, Pond). 



3 A. Dracontium Schott. GREEN" DRAGON". Acaulescent; If. mostly solitary, 

 pedate; Ifts. 7 to 11, oblong-lanceolate; spadix subulate, longer than the convo- 

 lute, oblong spathe. Less common in N. Eng. than the former species, found in 

 wet places, banks of streams, U. S. Stem a fleshy, subterraneous corm. Scape 

 slender, 10' to 2f high. Leaf on an erect, sheathing petiole, which is dichotomous 

 above, each half bearing 2 4 leaflets with an odd one at the fork. Leaflets 5 to 

 8' long, one-third as wide. Spathe green, 1 2' long, rolled into a tube at base. 

 Spadix slender, with its long, tapering point much exserted. Fruit a bunch of 

 red berries. Jn., Jl. (Arum Dracontium L.) 



2. PELT'ANDRA, Raf. (Gr. m^r?/, a shield or target, dvdpec.) 

 Spathe convolute ; spadix covered with flowers, staminate above, pistil- 

 late below; perianth 0; anthers 8 to 12, attached to the margin of a 

 peltate, oblong, connectile, and opening by a terminal pore ; berry 1- 

 celled, 1 to 3-seeded. 2 Rt. fibrous. Lvs. sagittate. 



1 P. Virginica Raf. Acaulescent; Ivs. oblong, hastate-sagittate, acute at apex, 

 the lobes obtuse ; spathe elongated, incurved, green, ivavy on the margin ; spadix 

 covered with staminate flowers the greater part of its length. A smooth, dark 

 green plant, in wet grounds, N. Y. and Ms. to Car. Leaves radical, numerous, 



