640 FLORA OF TEXAS. 



S. GRACILIS, Bigelow. Stem very slender, smooth through- 

 out, scape-like; lowest leaves (early withering) lanceolate 

 or elliptical, spreading; spike very slender; flowers minute, 

 on one side of the rachis or sparingly spiral, smooth; bracts 

 ovate-lanceolate, clasping, shorter than the capsule ; lip 

 finely crenulate on the margins, recurved and acute at the 

 apex, with two raised ear-like prominences at the base; 

 anthers 4-cleft. April and May. Stem sheathed, 6-12' 

 high; lowest leaves 1-2' long; flowers 1" long. In the 

 pine woods near Houston. 



LISTERA, R. Br. 



Sepals and petals alike, spreading or reflexed ; Up longer 

 than the sepals, 2-cleft; column short; stigma with a 

 rounded beak ; anther ovate, attached to the dorsal summit 

 of the column ; polleii-masses 2, powdery. Ste?ns low, from 

 clustered fibers, bearing two opposite sessile leaves, and a 

 loose raceme of small greenish floivers. 



L. AUSTRALis, Lindl. Leaves ovate or oblong-ovate, 

 closely sessile; raceme smoothish, few-several-flowered; 

 hracts minute ; lip linear, 3-4 times as long as the sepals, 

 deeply 2-cleft, the divisions filiform ; column very short. 

 Wet shady woods. July. Stem 4'-8' high; leaves ^-l' 

 long. 



135. CANNA FAMILY. Order, Cannace^. 



Perennial herhff, destitute of aroma, with alternate 

 sheathing leaves, the very numerous nerves parallel, and 

 diverging from the strong midrib, and superior irregular 

 monandrous flow^ers; sepals 3; corolla 6-parted, the three 

 exterior divisions alike, the three interior ones very un- 

 equal and often variously imperfect; stamen and stigma 

 mostly petal-like ; anther 1-celled; ovary 1-3-celled, with 

 1-mauy anatropous or campylotropous ovules; embryo 

 straight or hooked, in hard albumen ; rhizoma often tuber- 

 ous, and abounding in starch. 



