40 Charles E. Besscy 



celled; ovules i or more in each cell. Curcuma, Zingiber, Amo- 

 mum. (Pf. II, 6, 10.) 



Family 42. Cannaceae. Cannas. Perennial herbs of medium 

 size, with simple pinnately-veined leaves; perianth irregular; 

 stamen i, anther i-celled, with several " staminodes " ; pistil 3- 

 celled; ovules i to many. Conna. (Pf. II, 6, 30.) 



Family 43. Marantaceae. Perennial herbs of variable habit, 

 leaves parallel or pinnately-veined ; perianth irregular ; functional 

 stamen i, with several " staminodes " ; pistil 3-celled; ovules i in 

 each cell. Calathea, Maranta. (Pf. II, 6, 33.) 



Order Orchidales. Compound tricarpellary pistil, inferior; 

 flower-leaves in each whorl mostly unlike in shape (flower irreg- 

 ular, zygomorphic) ; seeds without endosperm. 



Family 44. Burmanniaceae. Flowers irregular ; stamens 3 or 

 6. Burmannia. (Pf. II, 6, 44.) 



Family 45. Orchidaceae. Orchids. Flowers irregular; sta- 

 mens I or 2. Cypripedium, Orchis, Platanthcra, Vanilla, Spi- 

 ranthes. (Sp. 7521.) (Pf. II, 6, 52.) 



Class 33. DICOTYLEDONEAE. The Dicotyledons. Leaves 

 of young sporophore opposite; leaves of mature sporophore usu- 

 ally reticulate-veined ; fibrovascular bundles of the stems in one 

 or more rings. (Species about 108,800.) 



Sub-Class DICOTYLEDONEAE^AXIFLORAE. "Axis 

 Flowers." Axis of the flower normally cylindrical, spherical, 

 hemispherical or flattened, bearing on its surface the hypogynous 

 perianth, stamens and pistils (or the stamens may be attached 

 to the corolla). 



Super-Order Axiflorae-Apopetalae-Polycarpellatae. Car- 

 pels typically many, separate or united ; petals separate. Flowers 

 mostly actinomorphic. This Super-Order has much in common 

 with the Alismatales, and also with the Calyciflorae Apopetalae. 

 In fact, these three groups appear to diverge from a common 

 point of origin. 



76 



