498 



ANGIOSPERMS 



Fig. 452. — A portion of a Lily in 

 flower and also a single flower, show- 

 ing the perianth consisting of six 

 similar parts. After Lecomte. 



are tropical or subtropical, but they are quite extensively grown 



in greenhouses everywhere. The flowers have three sepals, three 



petals, three to six stamens, 

 and a pistil commonly of three 

 united carpels. The flowers 

 are borne on a spadix and en- 

 closed in a spathe. The fruit 

 is sometimes a berry, as in the 

 Date, or nut-like, as in the 

 Coconut. A number of the 

 palms are valuable plants in 

 the region where they grow. 

 The Date Palm {Fig. 451) 

 yields the dates of the market. 

 The Coconut Palm yields the 

 Coconuts of the market and is 

 probably one of the most use- 

 ful Palms to the natives, fur- 

 nishing food, clothing, utensils of all kinds, building materials, 



etc. The Sago Palms yield Sago, which is prepared by washing 



out the starch from the stems. A 



tree 15 years old will sometimes yield 



800 lbs. of starch. The Oil Palm of 



West Africa yields a fruit from which 



palm oil is obtained. 



Lily Family (Liliaceae) . — The Lilies 



have a perianth of six parts and six 



stamens {Fig. 452). The pistil usually 



consists of three united carpels. Their 



flowers are often showy, and many of 



them, as the true Lilies, Hyacinths, 



Star of Bethlehem, Tulip, Day Lily, 



and Lily of the Valley, are ornamental 



plants. The Onion and Asparagus 



are common articles of food. Some, 



as the Aloe, Smilax, Colchicum, and 



Veratrum, yield valuable medicines. 



One, called New Zealand Flax, is a valuable fiber plant. In 



another family closely related to the Lily family are the 



Agaves, of which the Century Plant {Fig. 453) is a familiar 



Fig. 453. — A Century 

 Plant, one of the Agaves, 

 showing the thick leaves and 

 shape of the plant (Xt*^). 



