burmanniaceæ

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. A family of monocotyledonous plants of the order Orchidales, typified by the genus Burmannia, and characterized by flowers with a double 3-merous perianth, 6 stamens, 3 styles, and capsular many-seeded fruits. There are 13 genera and about 60 species, natives of the tropics of both hemispheres, with a few in temperate Australasia. They are herbs growing from rhizomes or tubers, sometimes saprophytic and destitute of chlorophyl, and with flowers in racemes, often nodding or pendulous.