518 MANUAL OF NATURAL HISTORY. 



celled; ovaries 1-18, 1 -celled ; fruit 1-18, 

 1 - seeded, utricles opening longitudinally. 

 Natives of Polynesia and Australasia. (Des- 

 vauxiacece, Lindley.) 



II. OKDEK. — Palm-like Glumals (Phaenikoidese). 



Pistil compound ; ovule erect or ascending. 



1. Family.— Sedges (Cyperaceae). Herbaceous, grass- 



like; stems solid, often without joints ; leaves 

 narrow, sheaths entire ; flowers unisexual or 

 bisexual, generally without a perianth ; each 

 flower with a solitary bract ; bracts imbri- 

 cated on a common axis, the lowermost often 

 empty ; stamens hypogynous, 1-12 ; anthers 

 2-celled ; ovary 1 -seeded, often surrounded 

 by hypogynous bristles ; fruit a crustaceous 

 or bony nut ; embryo enclosed within the 

 base of the albumen. Distribution almost 

 universal. The " Papyrus " of the ancients is 

 the product of Papyrus antiquorwm, which 

 inhabits Syria and Egypt. 



2. Family. — Grasses (Avenacese). Herbaceous, ever- 



green ; stems sometimes of large size, cylin- 

 drical, hollow, jointed ; leaves narrow, alter- 

 nate, with a membranous expansion at the 

 junction of the stalk and blade called a 

 "ligule/' sheath split; flowers green, occa- 

 sionally monoecious or polygamous, 1, 2, or 

 more, on a common axis, forming locustce, 

 which are spiked, racemose, or panicled; 

 the outer bracts, usually two, are named 



