50 MELANTHACEAE 



Family 18. MELANTHACEAE. Bunch-ploweb Family. 



Plants with rootstocks (except in No. 3) ; petals and sepals glandless. 

 Anthers oblong or ovate, 2-celled. 



Anthers introrse; flowers involucrate with 3 bractlets. 1. Tofieldia. 



Anthers extrorse; flowers not involucrate. 2. Xehophtllum. 



Anthers cordate or renlfonn, confluently l-celled. 



Flowers racemose, perfect, nodding; plants glabrous, with narrow leaves. 



3. Stenanthella. 

 Flowers paniculate, polygamous; more or less pubescent plants, with broad 

 plaited leaves. 4. Veratbum. 



Plants with bulbs; petals and sepals with a more or less distinct gland. 



Ovary partly inferior; gland obcordate. 5. Anticlea. 



Ovary whoUj superior; gland obovate or semiorbicular. 6. Toxicoscordion. 



1. TOFIELDIA Huds. Scottish Asphodel. 



Stem glabrous, scapiform; seed unappendaged. 



Stem leafy at the base only; flowers short-pedlcelled. 1. T. palustris. 



Stem with a leaf also at or above the middle; flowers sessile. 2. T. coccinea. 

 Stem viscid-pubescent, at least above; seeds appendaged. 



Bractlets broadly triangular, connate two-thirds their length. 3. T. intermedia. 



Bractlets lanceolate-triangular, connate half their length or less. 4. T. occidentalis. 



2. XEROPHYLLUM Michx. Turkey-beard, Bear-grass, 



Moose-grass, Pine-grass. 

 Petals and sepals 7-10 mm. long. 1. X. tenax. 



Petals and sepals 4-6 mm. long. 2. X. Douglasii. 



3. STENANTHELLA Rydb. l. S. ofcldentalis. 



4. VERATRUM (Tourn.) L. White Hellebore, F.alse Hellebore, Skuxk 



Cabbage. 



Flowers greenish; bractlets foliaceous, often equalling or exceeding the flowers. 



1. V. EschschoUzii. 

 Flowers white or yellowish white; bractlets membranous, much shorter than the pedicels 

 and flowers. 

 Petals and sepals oval or broadly oblanceolate. 2. V. speciosum. 



Petals and sepals narrowly oblanceolate. 3. V. tenuipetalum. 



5. ANTICLEA Kunth. White Camas. 



Base of the stem not covered by conspicuous scarious sheaths; plant not tufted. 

 Petals and sepals greenish, the former more or less contracted into a broad claw. 



1. A. chlorantha. 

 Petals and sepals white or straw-colored, greenish only on the midrib, not at all clawed. 



Petals and sepals 7-13-nerved. 



Stem more oi less leafy, 3-6 dm. high; petals white. 7-8 mm. long. 



2. A. elegans. 

 Stem scapiform, 1-2 dm. high; petals straw-colored, 5-6 mm. long. 



3. A. alpina. 

 Petals and sepals 5—6 mm. long, 3— 7-nerved. 



Inflorescence usually simple, few-flowered ; petals and sepals usually nearly 6 mm. 



long; flowers not recurved after anthesis. 4. A. coloradensis. 



Inflorescence branched, many-flowered; petals and sepals rarely exceeding 5 mm. 



in length; flowers reflexed just after anthesis. 5. A. porrifolia. 



Base of the stem covered by numerous, conspicuous, scarious sheaths; plant growing 



in big clumps. 6. A. vaginata. 



6. TOXICOSCORDION Rydb. Poison Camas, Death Camas. 

 Petals and sepals rounded or obtuse at the apex. 



Upper leaves without sheaths at the base; both petals and sepals distinctly clawed 

 and subcordate at the base; gland with a thick, toothed margin. 1. T. venenosum. 



All leaves with distinct sheaths; petals long-clawed and subcordate at the base- 

 sepals subsessule; margin of the gland iU-deflned. 2. T. gramineum 

 Petals and sepals acute or acuminate at the apex; all leaves with sheaths; sepals cuneate 

 at the base and short-clawed or subsessUe. 



Leaves less than 5 mm. wide; petals and sepals both cuneate at the base and short- 

 clawed. 3. t. aculum. 



Leaves over 5 mm. wide. 



Raceme simple; petals comparatively long-clawed and subcordate at the base. 



Baceme branched; petals short-clawed, not subcordate at the base. 



5. T. paniculatum. 



19. Family JUNCACEAE. Rush Family. 



Leaf-sheaths open; capsule 1-3-celled, with axile or parietal placentae; seeds many. 

 Leaf-sheaths closed; capsule l-celled, with basal placentae; seeds 3. 2. Juncoides 



