81 
[ Rep. No. 564. ] 
sugar in the juice of its stalk or cane, are all well known in the world: but 
those Endogenous plains whose green Hiving ledDes yield valuable folia- 
ceous fibres, are not well known in even scientific society. It hence be¬ 
comes necessary to give a brief outline of some leading Groups of Endoge¬ 
nous plants, in order to facilitate the communication of intelligence rela¬ 
tive to individual species of fibrous-leaved plants, to be found under differ¬ 
ent tribes or families of plants in each group. Endeavoring to avoid, as 
much as possible, the use of technicaf terms, the few Botanical words ne¬ 
cessarily employed will be defined and explained. 
GROUPS OF ENDOGENOUS PLANTS. 
Examining the flower of a common Lily, we discover that this flower is^ 
composed of six petals, or has six divisions, but that three alternate petals 
or divisions resemble each other more than they resemble the intermedi¬ 
ate petals; and hence the flower-is said to be complete, and foi'med upon 
a ternary plan. Examining the flower of a Mexican Lily (Amarylhs 
regiiice) the same formation is discovered. Both the common Lily and the 
Mexican Lily have six petalled flowers ; they both also have six threads 
called stamens, growing out of the petals, and one central thread or col¬ 
umn, called a Pistil. They have other points of resemblance, and yet 
there is one notable point of difference; that is, in the /lo/i-adherence of the 
flower of the Common Lily to the ovary or body, from which the central 
Pistil rises, and in the adhesion of the Flower of the Mexican Lily to its 
ovary, or future fruit. In the former case, Botanists say that the Ovary is. 
superior; and in the latter, that the Ovary is inferior. Hence, in speaking 
of the flower itself, the epithets are reversedthat is, in the Common Lily, 
the flower is inferior; and in the Mexican Lily, the floiveris superior; and 
the technical terms are Hypogynous, for the inferior; and Epigynous, for 
the superior. The same ideas, ho wever, would be more plainly expressed 
by the epithets of Non-adhering and of Jldhering flowers. 
Hence we can embrace a vast group of Endogenous plants under the 
head of Liliaceous flowers, formed upon a ternary plan ; and we can di¬ 
vide them into two sub-groups, hj the non-adhesion, and by the adhesimi 
of the flowers to the ovary, or infant fruit. 
There is, liowever, another important section of Endogenous plants, 
whose flowers have characters rather difficult to be generalized in com¬ 
mon language, especially as the species are not familiar to Americans. 
Some general ideas of them may be formed, by stating that the flowers, 
are covered by a husk, or shuck, called a Spat he, and are arranged along 
a stalk called a Spadix; and that hence they may be embraced under the 
head of Spadicious flowers; and these may be divided into three sub-sec¬ 
tions, by the veins of their leaves running from the base to the apex in ' 
one division, and from the midrib to the margin in the other ; and by the 
palmate leaves in the third. 
LILIACEOUS FLOWERS. 
Sub-group fl.—Nonadherent.—Hypogynosw. 
^ 1. Alliance Liliales.— Leaves frequently succulent or coriaceous^, 
with parallel longitudinal veins from base to apex. 
