10 ENGLISH BOTANY. 



on .1 spadix, supported on a radical or axillary scapo, and often sur- 

 rounded by a spathe. Flowers, when unisexual, usually ■with the male 

 flowers in the upper part of" the spike, and the female in the lower, 

 wholly covering the spadix, or only forming belts round it. Perfect 

 flowers frequently with a rudimentary scale-like perianth of 4 to 8 

 leaves, and with 4, 6, 8, or more stamens sun-ounding a 1-, 2- or 

 3-ceUed ovary free from the perianth. ]\lale flowers reduced to single 

 stamens, which are free, or more or less united to each other; the 

 anthers sometimes nearly or quite sessile. Female flowers reduced to 

 naked ovaries, which are free or united with each other, 1- or many- 

 celled and 1- or many-ovuled ; ovules variously disposed, usually 

 orthotropous or campy lotropous ; style simple or none ; stigma capitate 

 or discoid, undivided or lobed. Fruit generally a berry, rarely dry, 

 with 1 or more cells, and 1 or more seeds. Seeds subglobular or 

 angulated, with a coriaceous and often thick testa; albumen usually 

 abundant, fleshy or farinaceous, rarely nearly absent; embryo straight, 

 axial, extremity of the radicle pointing towards or away from the 

 hilum. 



Tribe I.— OFtONTE/E. 



Flowers perfect, surrounded by a membranous perianth of 6 leaves. 

 Spathe replaced by a leaf-like bract, resembling a ccntmuation of the 

 stem, not convolute or tubular at the base, sometimes absent. 



GENUS /.—A C O R U S. Linn. 



Spathe leaf-like, ancipitate, usually formmg an apparent continua- 

 tion of the 2-edged scape. Spadix inclined, or forming a continuation 

 of the scape, pseudo-lateral, conico-cylindrical, wholly covered with 

 perfect flowers. Perianth of 6 membranous oblong-oblanceolate obtuse 

 persistent leaves, concave at the apex. Stamens 6, inserted in the 

 base of the perianth leaves ; filaments linear, flattened ; anthers 

 2-celled, didymous. Ovary 2- or 3-celled, ovules numerous; stigmas 

 sessile, punctiform. Fruit bluntly 6-sided, prismatical-clavate, her- 

 baceous, indehiscent, 1- to 3-seeded. Embryo in the axis of the 

 albumen; radicle directed towards the hilum. 



Aquatic or marsh plants, with thick creeping rhizome and linear- 

 ensiform equitant green leaves. Spadix appearing to come from the 

 side of a flattened scape, from the bract being in the same line as the 

 scape, and the spadix ascending at an angle into its scape ; or form- 

 ino- a continuation of the scape, with the bract ascending at one side 

 of°it. 



