MONOCOTYLEDONS: A RALES. 663 



of low grounds, or along streams, or on moist hillsides. A 

 group of the jacks is shown in fig. 461 as they occur in the 

 rich soil on dripping rocks in one of our glens. The thin, strap- 

 shaped spathe, unfolded at its base, bends gracefully over the 

 spadix, the sterile end of which stands solitary in the pulpit 

 thus formed. The flowers are very much reduced, i.e., the 

 number of members in the sets is reduced so that they do not 

 appear in threes as in the typical monocotyledons. Some of 

 the members are also often reduced in size or are rudimentary. 

 The plants are "dimorphic" usually. 



Female plants. The large plants usually bear the pistillate 

 flowers, which are clustered around the base of the spadix, 

 each flower consisting of a single pistil, oval in form, terminating 

 in a brush-like stigma. The stigma consists of numerous spread- 

 ing, delicate hairs. The open cavity of the short style is hairy 

 also, and a brush of hairs extends into the cavity of the ovary. 

 Into this brush of internal hairs the' necks of the several ovules 

 crowd their way to the base of the style near its opening. Even 

 when the stigma is not pollinated the ovary continues to grow 

 in size, and the stigmatic brush remains fresh for a long time. 



Male plants. Excepting some of the intermediate sizes, one 

 can usually select on sight the male and female plants. The 

 smaller ones which have a spathe are nearly all male and bear 

 a single leaf, though a few have two leaves. The male flowers 

 are also clustered at the base of the spadix, and are very much 

 reduced. Each flower consists only of stamens, and singularly 

 the stamens of each flower are joined into one compound stamen, 

 the anther-sacs forming rounded lobes at the end of the short 

 consolidated filaments. 



The female plants require more food than the male plants. 

 In some plants both male and female flowers occur on a single 

 spadix, the lower flowers being female, while the upper ones 

 are male. The larger plants are nearly all female, and many, 

 though not all, bear two leaves. In this dimorphism of the 

 plant there is a division of labor apportioned to the destiny 

 and needs of each, and in direct correspondence with the capacity 



