484 THE BULKTJSH FAMILY. 



southern Scandinavia. Common in Britain, having been much planted 

 in earlier times ; it appears, however, to be truly indigenous in hilly dis- 

 tricts in England, southern Scotland, and northern Ireland. Fl. spring. 

 The Irish or Florence- Court Yew, a shrub with erect branches, is a garden 

 variety of the common Y, 



Class II. MONOCOTYLEDONS. 



Stem not distinguishable into pith, wood, and bark, but con- 

 sisting of bundles of fibres, irregularly imbedded in cellular 

 tissue, with a firmly adherent rind outside. Seeds with one 

 cotyledon, the embryo undivided, the young stem being deve- 

 loped from a sheath-like cavity on one side. 



Besides the above positive characters. Monocotyledons may be generally 

 known by their simple, entire, alternate or radical leaves, with simple 

 parallel veins, the base usually encircling or sheathing the stem or the base 

 of the next leaf ; and the parts of the flower are most frequently in threes, 

 the calyx and corolla, when present, being generally similar in appearance, 

 forming a single perianth of six parts. In several families, however, the 

 perianth is entirely wanting, or reduced to a very few small scales ; in the 

 Arum family, in Tamus, and Paris, the leaves are somewhat netted-veined ; 

 and in some Naiads, and Ln Paris, and some Convallarias, they are oppo- 

 site or whorled. 



LXXIY. THE BULRTISH FAMILY. TTPHACEJE. 



Eeed-like marsh or aquatic herbs, with long, linear leaves. 

 Flowers monoecious, in dense spikes or globular clusters, with- 

 out any perianth. Ovary tapering into a slender, simple style. 

 Fruit a small, seed-like nut, with a single pendulous seed. 

 Embryo straight, in a copious albumen. 



A family limited to the two British genera. 



Flowers in lon^, dense, cylindrical spikes 1. BuIjEttsh. 



Flowers in distinct globular heads 2. SpAsaAiriuM:. 



I. BUIiRUSH. TYPHA. 



Mowers in a long, very dense, cylindrical and simple spike, terminating 

 the stem, the upper part consisting of stamens only, intermixed with hairs, 

 the lower part more dense, with minute ovaries, surrounded by nmnerous 

 hairs. Nuts very small, enveloped in a copious down. 



