PLANT DESCRIPTION 251 
It is the superior three-chambered ovary that dis- 
tinguishes this order from other monocotyledons. 
Floral Formula.—P 3+ 3 A3+3 G (3). 
New ZEALAND EXAMPLES. 
1. Flax (Phormiwm tenax).—Stem, a fleshy rhizome. 
Leaves—large, ensiform (sword-shaped) with parallel 
veins. Inflorescence—a very large scape, each flower 
cluster being protected by a spathe. Perianth six, free, 
hypogynous in two whorls, reddish brown, somewhat 
irregular, Stamens and carpels as in blue-bell. Frut— 
an elongated three-angled capsule showing many 
shining black flat densely-packed seeds. Pollination by 
birds. In getting the nectar, tuis and other birds get 
the pollen on the feathers at the base of the beak and 
thus carry it from one flower to another. Use.—The 
fibres of the leaf are taken out and used for most 
purposes for which hemp can be used. 
2. Supplejack (Rhipogonum scandens)—A woody, 
branching forest climber. Leaves ovate, glossy net- 
veined with entire margin. Inflorescence—a raceme 
sometimes a panicle. Flower, regular, with all the 
characters of the order, but very small and greenish. 
Each chamber of the ovary contains only one ovule. 
As the ovary matures, one or more of the ovules is 
absorbed and the fruit becomes a one-seeded berry. It 
is scarlet in colour. 
3. Cabbage tree (Cordyline) has a palm-like habit 
with a straight leafless trunk bearing at its summit 
a tuft of sword-shaped leaves. The flowers, which are 
small and white, are produced in large panicles. The 
fruit is a bluish white three-celled berry with one to 
three black angular seeds in each chamber. 
4. The Astelias are mostly epiphytes and rock 
plants. The bases of the sword-like leaves sheathe one 
another and thus form a receptacle for the storage of 
water, a matter of importance to a plant which cannot as 
