This section is from the book "A Manual of Materia Medica and Pharmacology", by David M. R. Culbreth. Also available from Amazon: Manual of Materia Medica and Pharmacology.
Gigartinaceae. Distinguished by being parenchymatous plants, growring in fresh or salt water, or moist places, red, purple, or violet hue, less commonly green or blackish; composed of 250 species. Chon-drus, Gigartina.
Hypocreaceae. Distinguished by rarely containing chlorophyll, saprophytes, parasites, either soft, fibrous, gelatinous, fleshy, leathery, horny, mycelium inconspicuous, often producing a dense homogeneous tissue; composed of 200 species. Claviceps.
Polypodiaceae. Distinguished by leaves being fronds, large, spores one kind, in cases (sporangia) on under surface or margin, cir-cinate in vernation, stems usually prostrate, subterranean; composed of 70 genera, 3000 species. Dryopteris.
Lycopodiaceae. Distinguished by yellow spores, low, usually moss-like evergreens, stems much branched, elongated, sporangia 1-3-celled, solitary in the axils of leaves, or on their upper surface; composed of 125 species. Lycopodium.
Pinaceae (Coniferae). Distinguished as resinous, evergreen trees, shrubs, flowers unisexual, no perianth, staminate - catkins, pistillate - scaly aments, becoming cones, sepals naked (2), leaves needle-shaped; composed of 25 genera, 240 species. Pinus, Juniperus.
Graminaceae. Distinguished by glumaceous flowers, paleae 2 in each, stamens hypogynous, stems hollow, jointed, leaves 2-ranked; composed of 3500 species. Zea, Saccharum, Beta, Agropyron, Hordeum.
Palmaceae. Distinguished by plants being unbranched, leaves large, plaited, palmately parallel-veined, in one terminal cluster, perianth double, 3-merous; composed of 129 genera, 1100 species. Serenoa.
Melanthaceae. Distinguished by ovary superior, capsules mostly septicidal, with rootstocks, rarely bulbs, perianth 6, stamens 6, seeds appendaged, leaves grass-like, polygamous or dioecious; composed of 36 genera, 140 species. Veratrum, Asagroea.
Liliaceae. Distinguished by regular, symmetrical flowers, 6's, perianth non-glumaceous, petaloid, hypogynous, ovary 3-celled, anther 2-celled; composed of 125 genera, 1300 species. Urginea, Aloe.
Convallariaceae. Distinguished by being erect herbs, fruit - fleshy berry, no tendrils, never with bulbs or corms, flowers solitary, regular, perfect, 6's, ovary superior; composed of 23 genera, 215 species. Colchicum.
 
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