POPULAR FLORA. 



207 



3. Nodding T. Leaves nearly sessile, rhombic-ovate ; flower small, on a short peduncle curved 



down under the leaves; petals oblong-ovate, pointed, recurved, wavy. E. & S. T. cemuum. 



4. Ehkct T. or BiRTHKoOT. Leaves sessile, round-rhombic 



with a very abrupt point; flower on a nearly upright pe- 

 duncle; petalsovate,acutish, spreading, dull purple or some- 

 times greenish-white. Common N. T. erectum. 



5. Great-klowered T. Leaves and peduncle nearly as in 



No. 4 ; petals obovate, erect at the base, then gradually 

 spreading much longer and broader than the sepals, white, 

 turning rose-color when old. N. and W. T. gravdiflbrum. 



6. Painted T. Leavespetioled, pale green, ovate, taper-pointed; 



flower on an upright peduncle; petals lance-ovate, point- 

 ed, widely spreading, longer than the sepals, wavy, white, 

 adorned with delicate pink-purple stripes at the base. Cold 

 damp woods, &c. N. T. eryihTOcdrjmm. 



^ ^ ^ 506. Flower of TriUium, natural size. 



Indian Cucumber-root. Medeola. 

 Stem 1° to 3° high, from a white tuberous horizontal rootstock, having the taste of a cucumber, 

 bearing near the middle a whorl of 5 to 9 obovate-lancenlate pointed sessile leaves, and at the top 

 one of 3 ovate smaller leaves, and a few small greenish-j'ellow flowers in an umbel, on recurved stalks. 

 Sepals and petals each 3, oblong and alike, recurved. Stamens 6: fil.nments longer than the anthers. 

 Stigmas 3, sessile, long and thread-shaped. Ovary one, making a round 3-celled and few-seeded berry. 

 One species, in damp woods ; flowering in summer. M. Virginica. 



95. SPIDERWORT FAMILY. Order COMMFXYNACE^. 

 Tender herbs, with alternate parallel-veined leaves sheathing at the base, and 

 perfect flowers, having 3 green or greenish sepals and 3 petals on the receptacle. 

 Pistil one, with one long style and one stigma. Pod small, 3-eelled or sometimes 

 2-celled, few-seeded. Flowers opening in the morning for only one day, the 

 delicate (generally blue or purple) petals then melting away. There are two 

 genera wild ; and the Spiderwort is cultivated in every flower-garden. 



Flowers regular: the 3 petals and 6 stamens 

 all alike : filaments bearded with joint- 

 ed colored hairs : leaves lance-linear, 

 sessile, all alike, (Tradescdntia) Spiderwort. 



Flowers irregular: two of the petals kidney- 

 shaped on long claws, and one smaller: 

 stamens unequal, only three of them 

 with good anthers : filaments naked : 

 lower leaves with sheathing footstalks, 

 the uppermost sessile and somewhat 

 heart-shaped, ( Commelgna) Day-fix)wer 



507. Flower of Spiderwort. 



SOS, PiBlil, ma^tlied; the ovary cut acrosb. 



