620 FLORA OF TEXAS. 



Class n.— Monocotyledonous or Endogenous 

 Plants. 



stems composed of cellular tissue and scattered bundles of woody fiber 

 and vessels, destitute of proper pith, bark, or concentric layers, and in- 

 creasing in diameter by the deposition of new fibrous bundles. Leaves 

 mostly alternate, entire, and parallel -veined, commonly sheathing at the 

 base, seldom falling off by an articulation. Floral envelopes usually by 

 threes. Cotyledons single. 



12G. PALM FAMILY. Order, Palm^. 



Chiefly trees, with a thick woody stem (caudex), growing 

 by a terminal bud, pinnate or fan-shaped leaves, which are 

 plaited in the bud, and a spadix of small perfect or polyga- 

 mous jloivers ; sepals and petals 3, free, or more or less 

 united, persistent; stameiis mostly 6, hypogynous or pe- 

 rigynous; anthers 2-celled, introrse ; ovary 3-celled, com- 

 monly with a single erect orthotropous or anatropous 

 ovule in each cell ; styles 3, mostly united ; stigmas entire ; 

 fruit a drupe or berry; embryo cylindrical, placed in a 

 cavity of the hard albumen, near the circumference of 

 the seed. Stems erect or creeping ; leaves long-petioled ; 

 spadix axillary. 



SABAL, Adans. Palmetto. 



Flowers perfect, sessile, bracted; calyx cup-shaped, 

 3-cleft; corolla 3-petaled ; stamens G, hypogynous, the tila- 

 ments subulate, distinct; a)ithers cordate-ovate, horizontal ; 

 ovary o-ce\\ed; styles united, 3-anglcd; s//^;;m capitate or 

 ohtuse; fruit a 1-seeded drupe; embryo dorsal; albumen 

 homogeneous, horny. Ste77is simple or branched, erect or 

 creeping; leaves fan-shaped, long-petioled, with the divi- 



