CAT-TAIL FAMILY. 



347 



Order LXXIH. TYPHA'CE^. (Cat-tail Family.) 



Marsh herbs, with linear or narrow-ensiform leaves, sheathing at base, and monoecious 

 fxncers, destitute of proper floral envelopes in a dense cylindric spadix-liJce spike or glome- 

 rate in heads. FruU nut-like -when ripe, 1-seeded. Seed suspended ; emibryo straight, in 

 copious albumen. 



1. TY'PHA, Tournef. Cat-tail. 



[Greek, typhos, a hog or marsh ; from its place of growth.] 



Flowers in a long- dense terminal cylindric interrupted spike ■with an 

 intervening caducous spathe, — the upper portion consisting of stamens 

 only, intermixed with simple hairs, — the lower portion consisting of 

 ovaries surrounded by numerous clavate bristles ; sty/e simple. Nutlets 

 minute, stalked. Smooth perennials with creeping rhizomas, and simple 

 jointless stems and long narrow, thickish, erect leaves which nearly equal 

 the culm. 



1. T. latlfo'lia, L. Leaves somewhat ensiform-linear, flat ; staminate 

 and pistillate spikes mostly contiguous. 



Broad-leaved Typha. Cat-tail. Coopers' Eeed. Eeed-mace. 

 Fr. Masse d'eau. Germ. Die Rohrkolbe, Span. Espadana. 



Culm 4-5 feet high, simple, terete, smooth, solid with pith, leafy at base. Leaves about 

 as long as the culm, and % - % of an inch wide, tapering at apex but obtuse, sheathing 

 the cuhn at base. Staminate spike, or spadix, 6-8 inches long, aud near an inch in diam- 

 eter, j-ellowish-browu, with a sheathing membranaceous caducous spathe as long as the 

 spike. Pistillate spike immediately below (and about as thick as) the staminate one, 

 4-6 inches long, greenish-brown, sometimes in contact or continuous with the staminate 

 spike, sometimes with a naked space of near half an inch between them. 



Pools and swampy springs : throughout the United States. Fl. June - July. Fr. Sep- 

 tember. 



Ohs. The leaves of this plant are (or formerly were) much used, by the 

 coopers, to secure the joints of casks, &c., from leaking. Poor people 

 sometimes collect the fruit with its hairy involucels, from the mature 

 spikes, for the purpose of filling beds ; but it becomes exceedingly dusty 

 and unpleasant, and is even unhealthy, — in every respect a miserable 

 substitute for clean Oats chaff, or cut straw. A narrow-leaved variety, 

 by some considered a species (T, angustifolia, L.), is found in similar 

 situations ; it usually has the staminate and pistillate portions of the 

 spike separated by an interval. 



Order LXXIY. ALISMA'CEJE. (Water-Plantain Family.) 



Marsh Tierbs with scape-like sterns and perfect or monoecious flowers, not on a spadix, fur- 

 nished with both calyx and corolla ; sepals and petals each 3, distinct. Stamens hypogy- 

 noos, 6 -many. Ovaries 3 -many, becoming as many 1 -2-seeded pods or akenes. Seeds 

 ascending or erect. Embryo without albumen. Leaves sheathing at base. 



1. SAOITTA'RIA, i. Arrow-head. 



[Latin, Sagitta, an arrow ; from the prevailing form of the leaves.] 



Flowers monoecious (sometimes dioecious), mostly whorled in threes, the 



