r is
apparently below the flower (inferior), and lacking the inner circle
of stamens, is the iris family (_Iridaceae_), represented by the wild
blue-flag (_Iris versicolor_) (Fig. 84, _A_, _E_), as well as by
numerous cultivated species. In iris the carpels are free above and
colored like the petals (_B_), with the stigma on the under side. Of
garden flowers the gladiolus and crocus are the most familiar
examples, besides the various species of iris; and of wild flowers the
little "blue-eyed grass" (_Sisyrinchium_).

[Illustration: FIG. 85.--_Enantioblastae_. _A_, inflorescence of the
common spiderwort (_Tradescantia_), x 1/2 (_Commelyneae_). _B_, a single
stamen, showing the hairs attached to the filament, x 2. _C_, the
pistil, x 2.]

The blue pickerel-weed (_Pontederia_) is the type of a family of which
there are few common representatives (Fig. 84, _I_, _K_).

The last family of the order is the _Bromeliaceae_, all inhabitants of
the warmer parts of the globe, but represented in the southern states
by several forms, the commonest of which is the so-called "gray moss"
(_Tillandsia_) (Fig. 84, _F_, _H_). Of cultivated plants the pineapple,
whose fruit consists of a fleshy mass made up of the crowded fruits
and the fleshy flower stalks, is the best known.

ORDER II.--_Enantioblastae_.

The second order of the monocotyledons, _Enantioblastae_, includes very
few common plants. The most familiar examples are the various species
of _Tradescantia_ (Fig. 88), some of which are native, others exotic.
Of the cultivated forms the commonest is one sometimes called
"wandering-jew," a trailing plant with zigzag stems, and oval, pointed
leaves forming a sheath about each joint. Another common one is the
spiderwort already referred to. In this the leaves are long and
pointed, but also sheathing at the base. When the flowers are showy,
as in these, the sepals and petals are different, the former being
green. The flowers usually open but once, and the petals shrivel up as
the flower fades. There are four families of the order, the spiderwort
belonging to the highest one, _Commelyneae_.

ORDER III.--_Spadiciflorae_.

The third order of the monocotyledons, _Spadiciflorae_, is a very large
one, and includes the largest and the smallest plants of the whole
sub-class. In all of them the flowers are small and often very
inconspicuous; usually, though not always, the male and female flowers
are separate, and often on different pl