204 
POPULAR FLORA. 
KEY TO THE FAMILIES OR ORDERS OF CLASS H. 
I* Spadiceous Division. Flowers collected on a spadix (184), i. e. sessile and crowded in a spike 
or head on a thickened axis, and with or without a spathe or enwrapping bract (185). 
Trees or shrubs, with simple stems; the flowers having calyx and corolla, Palm Family, 205 
Herbs, the small and crowded flowers either naked or with a small perianth. 
Spadix surrounded by a large spathe : flowers generally naked : fruit a berry, ) 
Spadix without a spathe: perianth of 6 pieces, j Arum F. 205 
Spadix without any proper spathe : perianth none : fruit an akene, Cat-tail F. 206 
Spadix (as it might be called) raised above a small spathe, covered with blue and 
tubular, 6-lobed flowers. Belongs to the next division, Pickerel- weed F. 208 
II. Petaloideous Division. Flowers not on a spadix and not enclosed by glumes or chaffy or scale- 
like bracts (as in Grasses and Sedges), but having a calyx and corolla, or a 6-leaved or 6-lobed 
(rarely 4-leaved) perianth colored like a corolla. 
Perianth free from the ovary, that is, inserted underneath the ovary, and 
Of 3 green or greenish sepals and 3 distinct and colored petals. 
Pistils many, in a ring or a head, making akenes, Water-Plantain F. 206 
Pistil 1 : styles or sessile stigmas 3. Leaves whorled, veiny, Trillium F. 206 
Pistil and slender style 1 : leaves alternate, parallel-veined, Spiderwort F. 207 
Of mostly 6 petal-like leaves in two ranks, three outside and three inside, or else 6- 
(rarely 4-) lobed, all colored alike. 
Stamens only 3, or 6 and the three on one side of the flower much shorter than 
the rest, Pickerel- weed F. 208 
Stamens 6, or as many as the divisions of the perianth, all alike. 
Anthers turned outwards, i. e. on the outer side of the filament. 
Leaves in whorls : flowers perfect : long stigmas 3, Indian Cucumber-root, 207 
Leaves alternate, and with side tendrils, netted-veined between the ribs : 
flowers dioecious : styles or sessile stigmas 3, Greenbrier F. 208 
Leaves alternate, without tendrils : flowers perfect or polygamous : styles 
3 or 3-cleft, Colchicum F. 209 
Anthers turned inwards, i. e. on the inner side of the filament : style 1 : 
stigmas 1 or 3, Lily F. 209 
Perianth adherent to the ovary below, and therefore apparently borne on it 
Stamens 6: anthers turned inwards. Flowers regular or nearly so, Amaryllis F. 213 
Stamens 3 : anthers turned outwards. Flowers often irregular, Iris F. 214 
Stamens only one or two and united with or borne on the style. Flowers irregular, of 
singular shapes, Orchis F. 215 
III. Glumaceous Division. Flowers not on a spadix, and without any corolla-like perianth, but, 
with glumes , i. e. thin scales, such as the chaff or husk of Grain and Grasses. Stems rush-likey 
or straw-like. 
Glumes 6 in a whorl to each flower, like a calyx, Rush F. 215 
Glume one to each flower, the flower in its axil. Flowers collected into heads or spikes, Sedge F. 216 
Glumes 2 or 4 to each flower, in two sets, Grass F. 216 
