PHANEROQAMIA. 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 



