[182 
little jack-in-the-pulpit of our own woodlands, and the large 
gorous vines which make the tropical forests sometimes all 
a impassable, es the extremes in this respect. Some 
of them have corms, but the greater part have fleshy rhizomes 
or stems, some of the latter being much elongated, the plants 
climbing up tall trees. The inflorescence is composed of two 
parts, the spathe and the spadix. The former organ, repre- 
sented in the jack-in-the-pulpit by the “pulpit” with the over- 
hanging top, is sometimes very small, while in other cases it is 
very large and showy. This is no part of the flower proper, 
however, and is really a oe bract at the base of the flower- 
cluster. The spadix is ma p of an axis, often very fleshy, 
upon which are arranged - eae which are either perfect, 
that is, with stamens and pistils, with or without a erianth, or 
unisexual, the stamens and pistils borne in separ: 
ifferent parts of the same spadix. So that the so- ae Ges 
of this family is in reality an aggregate of many flowers. The 
fruit is 7 a berry, often highly colored as in the jack-in- 
the-pu 
a eee of the family possess irritant properties. Any- 
one who has tasted the corms of our own jack-in-the-pulpit, 
known also the Indian turnip, can vouch for the irritating 
qualities of me particular species. Others of this genus Ari- 
saema also have like irritant properties, The juice of the root 
of Dieffenbachia Seguine, of the West Indies, is acrid and poison- 
ous. If a portion be chewed it causes a swelling of the tongue 
and loss of speech for a time. For this reason it has received 
the name of the dumb cane. Plants of this will be found in 
house no. 10. The acrid qualities are due partly to soluble 
substances and partly to the mechanical effects of needle-shaped 
crystals. 
Comparatively few of the species furnish edible products. 
The most important food is furnished by the corm of Colocasia 
esculenta, known also as C. antiguorum and Caladium esculentum, 
originating in the tropical parts of the Old World. This is known 
under various common names such as taro, eddoes, scratch-coco, 
Egyptian arum, coco, and kopeh. This plant is wild over the 
