680 Obdbh 138 ORCHIDAOEiE. 



Order CXXXVII. BURMANNIACEyE. 



Small annual lierhs with slender, scaly or naked stems and seale-like, tufted leaves. 



ftowers perfect, with a tubular, 6-toothed peiiantli adherent to the ovary. Slammi 



3, opposite the smaller teeth (petals), introrse, or 6 and extrorse. Capsule 1 or 3- 



celled, seeds numerous, minute, loose in a membranous testa. 



Genera 7, ftpeeies 30, in wet, prassy placoa in the warm parts of Asia, Africa anil America 

 They are said to be bitter and astringent. 



1. "APTE^RIA, Nutt. (Gr. o, privative, TTrepov, a wing.) Perianth 

 bell-tubular, tube longer than the slender teeth, mavescont ; teeth alter- 

 nately narrower ; capsule globular, wingless, 1 -celled, valves opening 

 first at base ; placentse parietal ; seeds innumerable, oblong, very min- 

 ute. — (D Herbs apparently leafless. 



A. setacea Nutt. Erect, very slender, with remote, subulate scales, and divid- 

 ing above into 2 racemes ; fls. distant, pedicellate. — Moist, shady woods, Fla, 

 and La. (Hale). St. 4 lo 6f high. Kaoeme often simple. Coralla 3 to 4" long, 

 purplish. 



2. BURMAN'NIA, L. (Dedicated to one Burmann, a Gorman bota- 

 nist.) Perianth tube scarcely produced above the ovary, often 3-wingcd 

 below, limb with 3 inner teeth much shorter ; capsule prismatic, often 

 3-winged, cells 3, with a thick placentae in the axis ; seeds numeroilB. — 

 (D Leafless. 



1 B. biflora L. St. capillary, simple, with scarcely perceptible bracfcs, and 1 or 2, 

 rarely more, small light Hue flowers at top, the angles of the tube con.spicuously 

 winged. — Grassy swamps in the lower districts, Va. to Fla. and La. St. 2 to 3' 

 high. Fls. 2 to 3" long. Oct., Nov. 



2 B. capit^ta L. St. setaceous, furnished with a few subulate bracts, simple, 

 erect, bearing at top o dense duster of white fls. ; ovary and fruit scarcely winged.^ 

 Upper districts of S. Car. and Ga. (Bachman), less common and with smaller fls. 

 than in the last. St 6 to 8' high. Sept. 



OnDKR CXXXVIII. ORCfflDACE^. Orchids. 



Herbs perennial, with fleshy roots, simple, entire, parallel veined leaves. Floweri 

 very irregular, with an adherent, ringont perianth of .6 parts. Sepals 3, usually 

 colored, odd one uppermost by the twisting of the ovary. Petals 3, usually colored, 

 odd one lowest by the twisting of the ovary. Lip (labeUum, the odd petal) diverse 

 in form, often lobed, frequently spurred at base. Stamens 3, gynandrous (consoli- 

 dated with the style), 2 of them or more, rarely 1 of them, abortive or oKsolete, tha 

 poUen powdery, or coherent in waxy masses. Ovary inferior, 1-celled, with 3 pari- 

 etal placentae and innumerable ovules. Fruit capsular, 3-valved. Seeds numerous 

 and very minute. Hlust. in Figs. 29, 31, b, 57, 85, 200, 327, 36G. 



Genera 894, specif g 8000 ? Tliey are among the most interesting and curious plants, almost al- 

 ways remarkable for the grotesque form of their tortuous roots and stems, and the fragrance, 

 brilliancy and odd structure of the flowers. 



The Orchids are natives of nearly every part of the world. In the tropica multitudes of 

 theni are epiphytes, growing on living trees or decaying timber. 



This order is remarkable tor those qualities only which please the eye. They not only excel 

 in beauty and delicacy, but often closely imitate objects of the animal kingdom, as bees, flies, 

 spiders, doves, swans, pelicans, &c, especially those of the tropical regions. Many of its species 

 are cultivated for ornament, but few of them possess either active or useful properties. The 

 »alsp of commerce is a nutritive, mucilaginous substance afforded by the roots of some Asiatic 

 Orcuia The aromatic vanilla, used to fldwor ohocolnte, &c., is the fruit of tho West Indiaa 

 Vanilla davlculata. 



