PHANEROGAMIA. 249 
found in any other order of plants. The student may 
profitably read in this connection Mr. Darwin’s work, “ The 
Various Contrivances by which Orchids are Fertilized by 
Insects.” 
524. The Monocotyledons include many of our finest 
ornamental plants. Thus some of the grasses and sedges 
are grown for the beauty of their foliage and flower-clus- 
ters, and many aroids find places in greenhouses, one of the 
most common being the so-called Calla-lily from South 
Africa. In the Lilies, however, we find the greatest num- 
ber of plants grown for the beauty and attractiveness of 
their flowers, possibly excepting the Orchids. Of the 
Lilies proper there are many species from America, Europe, 
Asia Minor, China, and Japan which have long been in 
cultivation in gardens. Closely allied to these are the Day- 
lilies and the stately Crown-imperial, the Hyacinth, now 
of many forms and colors, and the Tulips, which under 
cultivation have been made to vary still more. The Ama- 
ryllids have given us the Snowdrop and Snowflake, the 
Daffodils, Jonquils, and the delightfully sweet-scented 
Tuberose. From the Irids we have many species of Iris 
and Crocus and Gladiolus, the last from South Africa. 
The use of the Orchids as ornamental plants has already 
been referred to; but while, doubtless, more species of 
them are grown, they are for the most part confined to 
special greenhouses and conservatories called orchid-houses, 
and are not found in common cultivation among the peo- 
ple at large. 
525. The rank of the Monocotyledons economically is 
high. The seeds of the grasses have a copious starchy en- 
dosperm which has for ages been used as food for man and 
his domestic animals, Thus wheat, rye,barley, oats, and 
