KEY. 337 



Leaves ovate-oblong, elliptic, or lanceolate, often 

 clasping. Fruit a berry or a pod ^18 



718. Flowers axillary throughout the flowering period. 



Flowers - primarily terminal, at length axillary, 

 nodding 740 



719. Flowers solitary, axillary, on distorted and abrupt- 

 ly bent peduncles, drooping. Peduncles ascending first and 

 then, forming a sling or knee in the middle, deflexed. Peri- 

 anth bell-form ; sepals, each with a nectariferous pore at the 

 base,, recurved-spreading from a little above the bell-shaped 

 base. Stamens inserted at the base ; anthers sagittate. 

 Berry red. Roots fibrous, matted. Streptopus. 



Flowers on undistorted pedancles, which are 1- to 

 4- (usually 2-) flowei-ed, axillary, drooping. Stamens inserted 

 near the middle of the erect-lobed . pei-ianth-tube. Berry 

 bluej or black. Rhizome creeping, thick, knotty. 



Folygouatmu multiflormn, Desf. 



7S0. Flowers in terminal umbels, or heads. Scape 

 naked, or with sheathing leaves near the base ; rarely a stem 



with 2 whorls of leaves. Perianth always corolline 721 



Flowers in racemes, j)anicles, corymbs, or solitary 

 (rarely in umbels, and then with the 6 sepals glumaceous). 



723 



731. Two whorls of- leaves.- Stem simple, clothed with 

 flocculent, deciduous wool, bearing 2 verticils of sessile obo- 

 vate-lanceolate leaves, one of 5-9 near the middle, and an- 

 other of 3 (smaller ones) at the top. Flowers small, re- 

 curved, pale greenish-yellow, about 4, in a terminal sessile 

 umbel. Style none ; stigmas 3. Berry dark purple. Root- 

 stock having the taste of the cucumber. 



Medeola Virginica, L. 



Leaves not whorled ' 722 



722. Perianth of 6 distinct sepals, bell-shaped, lily-like, 

 slightly downy outside, deciduous. Filaments thread-like. 

 Flowers rather large, greenish-yellow, or white. Berry 

 ovoid, blue, few- to many-seeded. Leaves 2-4, large, oblong 

 or oval, ciliate, sheathing at the base of the scape. 



Cliutonia. 



