202 



HISTORY OP THE VEGETABLE KINGDOM. 



potamogeton, possessing no very remarkable pro- 

 perties, and of no economical use. 



Aroidem. Perennial herbaceous plants, gen- 

 erally with tuberous roots; many of them are 

 acrid and poisonous; acorus calamus is aromatic. 

 The root of arum maculatum or wake-robin, as 

 well as that of others of tliis family, contains 

 farina or starch. 



Typhinece. Aquatic, or arborescent and ter- 

 restrial plants, containing two genera, intimately 

 allied in their properties to the family aroichce. 



Saiorureos, plants growing in the water, or 

 floating on its surface. There are two genera, 

 saururus and aponogetmi. 



Gahomhece. Herbaceous perennial plants, 

 growing in the fresh waters of America, consist- 

 ing of two genera. 



CyperacecB. Herbaceous plants, generally 

 growing in moist places on the mai'gins of lakes 

 and streams; stem a cylindrical or triangular culm 

 with or without knots; the leaves sheathing, con- 

 taining the genera scirpus, cypsrus, schanus, ma- 

 riscus, papyrus, and many others. They resem- 

 ble the grasses, but are of little or no economical 

 use, with exception of papyrus, which furnished 

 the ancient materials for paper. 



Graminece. Herbaceous plants, annual or per- 

 ennial; stem or culm generally hollow, and 

 knotted with alternate, sheathing leaves; flowers 

 disposed in spikes or panicles more or less 

 branched. A family containing numerous and 

 important genera, including the grains, as wheat, 

 rye, oats, barley, maize, pannick, rice, millet; the 

 grasses, sugar cane, bamboo, &c. 



Palmce or Palms. Large trees, with simple, 

 cylindrical, leafless stems or stipes, crowned at 

 their summits by a bundle of very large pinnate 

 or decompound leaves, with leaflets of various 

 forms. The flowers are hermaphrodite, or more 

 commonly unisexual, dioecious, or polygamous. 

 The cocoa, date, areca, sagus, are a few of the 

 genera of this interesting and highly useful 

 family. 



Restiacem. Plants having the habit of rushes, 

 many of them of peculiar genera, natives of 

 New Holland. 



Juncex. Herbaceous plants, rarely annual, 

 with simple, cylindrical, naked, or leafy stem; 

 leaves sheathing at the base, sometimes entire, 

 sometimes slit in their whole length. The flowers 

 are hermaphrodite, terminal, disposed in the 

 form of a panicle or cyme, and contained before 

 their expansion in the sheath of the last leaf, 

 which forms a kind of spatha for them. The 

 genera are juncus, lugula, and ahama; and they 

 compose the well known plants called rushes. 



Commelinece. A small family allied to the 

 jiincea^, herbaceous, annual, or perennial. 



Pontederiacem. Plants growing in the vicinity 

 of water, bearing alternate, petiolate leaves, 

 sheathing at their base; flowers solitary, or dis- 



posed in a spike or umbel, and springing from 

 the sheath of the leaves which is slit. There 

 are only two genera. 



Alismacew. Herbaceous plants, annual or 

 perennial; leaves petiolate, sheathing at the base; 

 flowers hermaphrodite, rarely unisexual, disposed 

 in spikes, panicles, or sertules. The foliage is 

 generally acrid; the roots of some species are 

 eatable. The genera are lutomos, sagittaria, liUas, 

 &c. 



Golchicacece. Herbaceous plants, with a fibrous 

 or bulbiferous root, and a simple or branched 

 stem, bearing alternate sheathing leaves; flowers 

 terminal; hermaphrodite or unisexual. All the 

 plants of this family are more or less acrid, as 

 colcMcum and veratrum, which are used in medi- 

 cine. 



Asparagine(B, Perennial, herbaceous, or fru- 

 tescent plants, with fibrous roots, alternate, op- 

 posite, or verticillate leaves ; flowers sometimes 

 unisexual, and variously disposed. Most of the 

 genera are more or less acrid and stimulant; 

 dracmna dram yields the gum-dragon, and sar- 

 saparilla is a medicinal plant. 



SiliacecB. Plants with bulbous or fibrous 

 I'oots, leaves sometimes all radical, flat, or cylin- 

 drical; hollow, or thick and fleshy; stem naked, 

 flowers solitary and terminal, in simple spikes 

 or branched racemes. The squill, garlic, onion, 

 aloe, are examples of the genera. 



Bromeliacece. Parasitic perennial plants, leaves 

 alternate, and generally collected into a bundle 

 at the base of the stem; elongated, narrow, 

 toothed, and spinous on the margins; flowers 

 scaly spikes, or branched racemes. The genera 

 are tellandsia, hromelia, agave, annana, or pin« 

 apple, &c. 



Dioscorere. Frequently climbing plants, leaves 

 alternate or opposite, with irregularly ramified 

 nerves; flowers hermaphrodite or unisexual. 

 The yam belongs to this family. 



Narcissew. Plants with a bulbous or fibrous 

 root, and radical leaves. The flowers are solitary, 

 often very large, disposed in sertules or simple 

 umbels; enveloped before expansion in a mem- 

 branous sheath. Among thegenera are narcissus, 

 amaryllis, galanthus. They are bitter, and gen- 

 erally nauseous. The bulbs of the common 

 garden lily are emetic. , 



Iridece. Plants generally herbaceous, vnih. 

 tuberous, fleshy, and rarely fibrous roots. The 

 stem cylindrical, or compressed, with flat, ensi- 

 form, alternate leaves; flowers very large, envel- 

 oped previous to expansion in membranous 

 sheaths, and solitary or variously grouped. The 

 iris, crocus, galaxia, are examples of the genera. 

 Saflxon is the dried stigmas of a species of cro- 

 cus. 



HemodorcKecB. Herbaceous perennial plants, 

 sometimes stemless, having simple distichous 

 leaves, sheathing at their base; and flowers dis- 



