CLASS MONANDRIA. 
GLASS I.-MONANDRIA. 
Order Monogynia. 
In the United States we have very few ex¬ 
amples of plants of this class; the Hippuris, 
an aquatic plant, is sometimes found in 
stagnant water; it is the most simple of all 
perfect* flowers, having neither calyx nor 
corolla, and but I stamen, 1 pistil, and I 
seed. The germ, in maturing, hardens into 
a naked seed without any kind of append¬ 
ages. The genus Hippuris contains but one 
species, fhe vulgaris. 
Fig. 121, a, represents the Hippuris ;f the 
stem is erect and simple; the leaves are 
linear , acute , and arranged in whorls. At 
6, is the flower of the Hippuris, showing an 
egg-shaped germ ; a short filament crowned 
with a large anther composed of two lobes; 
the style is long and awl-shaped; the stigma is acute and inconspi¬ 
cuous ; the germ is crowned by a border which resembles the upper 
part of a calyx. 
The Marsh-samphire, {Salicornia herbacea ,) with a bushy stem, 
about a foot high and flowers in a short spike, grows in salt marshes 
near the sea-coast. It has a saltish taste, and is used for pickling. 
It has been supposed that this was the plant alluded to by Shakspeare^ 
in his description of the cliffs of Dover i 
How dreadful, 
And dizzy his to cast one’s eyes so low f 
Half way down, 
Hangs one that gathers Samphire : dreadful trade F 
It is probable, however, that the poet here refers to the Sea-Sam¬ 
phire, ( Crithmum maritimum ,) whose habit it is to grow on rocks 
near the sea ; this, according to English botanists, is still found upon 
the Dover cliffs, from which those who gather it are let down in 
baskets. The Salicornia is found in great quantities on the coasts 
of the Mediterranean, where it is burned, and its ashes used in the 
manufacture of soda. It is also found at Onondaga Salt Springs,, 
and on the sea-coast in North America. 
Although the plants of this class are so very limited in the northern 
countries, some of the most valuable vegetable productions of the 
tropical regions are found here. The Arrow-root,f ( Mar ant a arun- 
dinacea ,) received its name from having been used by the Indians of 
South America, to extract the venom from wounds made by their 
poisoned arrows; from its roots, a substance is obtained, resembling 
starch, which is valued as nutritious for the sick. The Curcuma , 
sometimes called the Indian Crocus, furnishes from its root the tur¬ 
meric imported from the East Indies ; it is remarkable for the pecu¬ 
liar yellow colour of its bark, and is valuable as a chemical test of 
the presence of alkalies. It is an ingredient in the curry-powder. 
The ginger, whose root is so extensively used in cooking and in 
medicine, was first known to the Arabians, and called by them Zin- 
ziber, which is now generally received as its generic name, though 
* Although so destitute of othfer organs, it is called perfect, because it has stamens 
and pistils. 
t See also Appendix, plate vi. fig. 7. t See Appendix, plate iii. fig. 4. 
How many orders in the class Monandria?—Describe the Hippuris—Fig. 121- 
Marsh-Samphire—Arrow-root—Ginger. ^ 
136 
Fig. 121. 
