LILV FAMILY 483 



Series II. HVP6GYX.E. Ord, LXrvXII.— LXXXIX 

 Ovar\" superior 



Ord. LXXXII. Liliace.€. — Lilv Family 



An extensive family of plants comprising about 2,500 species, of 

 which the majorit)' are bulbous herbaceous' plants with showy 

 flowers. Some attain the dimensions of shrtibs, or even trees, in 

 which case the)" resemble the Palms in having no true separable 

 bark or distinctly marked pith, and in the leaves being never jointed 

 to the stem. The leaves of Herb-Paris {Paris' quadrifolia), a British 

 species, are net- veined, and so resemble ihosd of Dicotyledons ; but 

 are not jointed to the stem. The perianth consists of 6 — lo leaves, 

 generally similar and petaloid, but in 2 whorls, distinct, or united 

 into a tube ; stamens 6 — 10, epiphyllous, with anthers generally 

 introrse ; uiian' superior, 3- rarely 4-chambered : style i: stigma 

 simple, or 3-lobed ; fruit a 3-chambered, m%ny-seeded capsule, or 

 berry-like, 3 — 5-chambered, i — 6-seeded. The Order is most 

 abundantly represented in temperate climajes, but its members 

 attain their greatest size in the tropics. The Butcher's Broom 

 {Ruseus acitledtus) is the onlv British species'which forms a woody 

 stem. The Dragon's Blood (Draciina Draco), which grows very 

 slowly and only branches when of considerably age, was represented 

 at Orotava, in Teneriffe, by a giant specimen' 70 feet high and over 

 48 feet in circumference, which is recorded td have been an ancient 

 tree and apparently almost as large in 1406 ? but it was destroyed 

 by a hurricane in 1867. The leaves of many species in the Order 

 contain tough fibre, the New Zealand Flax {Phormium tenax) 

 being the most important of these. The Onion (Alliun Cepa), the 

 Leek {A. Porrum), and the Garlic (-4. sativum) are among the most 

 anciently cultivated of vegetables, and were given divine honours 

 by the ancient Egyptians ; whilst the young -shoots of Asparagus 

 are among the most esteemed delicacies of bur modern kitchens. 

 In medicine many members of the Order are, of great value, among 

 which aloes, the bitter, QQud.ii\-md.]\nCfioi Aloe vulgaris, A. succo- 

 irina, a.nd other species ; squills, an extract of the ilediterranean 

 Urginea Scilla ; and the corms and seeds o[ Colchicum autumudle, 

 used as a specific for gout, are well known. As ornamental 

 plants the beauty of this Order has for a'ges been proverbial, 

 many species of Lilium, Fritilldria, Scilla, aind other genera, the 

 Lijy of theA^alley {Convalldria nia/dlii), the Hyacinth (Hyacinthus 

 orientdlis), and the Tulip (Tulipa) being among the most prized 

 of our garden flowers. 



