43 FLORA. 



a small pit at the base of the blade. Stamens and pistils numerous. Achenes 

 slightly compressed, blunt, not wrinkled nor ribbed. Cotyledon only one. [Latin, 

 fig, from the fig -like thickened roots.] About 4 species, natives of the Old World. 

 I. Ficaria Ficaria (L.) Karst. LESSER CELANDINE. (I. F. f. 1629.) Gla- 

 brous; flowering stems scapose, 10-12 cm. high, bearing I or 2 leaves or naked. 

 Leaves ovate, obtuse, crenate, somewhat fleshy, on broad petioles, the blade 

 3-5 cm. long; flowers yellow, 2.5 cm. broad; head of fruit globose, I cm. broad; 

 carpels beakless, truncate. College Point, Long Island; Staten Island; Philadelphia 

 and D. C. Fugitive from Europe; also in western Asia. April-May. 



25. CYRTORHYNCHA Nutt. 



A glabrous perennial herb, with fibrous roots, slender erect stems, crenate or 

 lobed leaves, and small yellow flowers. Sepals 5, spreading, deciduous. Petals 

 5, narrowly spatulate or oblong, bearing a small pit near the base. Stamens and 

 pistils numerous. Head of fruit globose. Achenes terete, longitudinally ribbed or 

 nerved, tipped with the inflexed style. [Greek, curved-beak.] The genus as here 

 recognized consists of the following species only. 



I. Cyrtorhyncha ranunculina Nutt. NUTTALL'S BUTTERCUP. (I. F. f. 

 1630.) Slender, glabrous, erect, branched above, 1.5-2.5 dm. high. Basal 

 leaves on long slender petioles, bipinnate, parted into oblong or linear, acutish 

 lobes; stem-leaves few, ternately orpinnately parted into linear lobes; flowers few, 

 corymbose, about 12 mm. broad; sepals yellow, petaloid, spreading; petals spatu- 

 late; achenes 2-3 mm. long, in a globose head, glabrous, oblong-cylindric. In 

 gravelly soil, Wyo. and Colo. Reported from Neb. June. 



26. OXYGRAPHIS Bunge. 



Perennial herbs, with crenate dentate or lobed long-petioled leaves, and small 

 yellow flowers, solitary or 2-7 together on scapes or scape-like peduncles. Sepals 

 usually 5, spreading, tardily deciduous. Petals 5-12, each bearing a small nectar- 

 pit near the base. Stamens and pistils numerous. Head of fruit oblong, oval or 

 subglobose. Achenes compressed, sometimes swollen, longitudinally striate, with- 

 out a hard coat. [Greek, sharp-style.] About 10 species, the following of North 

 America, Asia and southern South America, the others Asiatic. 



I. Oxygraphis Cymbalaria (Pursh) Prantl. SEASIDE CROWFOOT. (I. F. f. 

 1631.) Low, glabrous, spreading by runners. Leaves mostly basal, slender- 

 petioled, the blade cordate -oval or reniform, crenate, 4-18 mm. long; flowers 1-7, 

 about 6-8 mm. broad, borne on scapes 2-12 cm. long, these sometimes bearing one 

 or more leaves toward the base; head of fruit oblong, 6-16 mm. long; achenes 

 compressed, somewhat swollen, distinctly striate, minutely sharp-pointed. On 

 sandy shores, N. J. to Lab., west to Alaska, Cal., Mex. and Kans. Also in Asia 

 and S. Am. Summer. 



27. THALICTRUM L. 



Erect perennial herbs. Leaves ternately decompound, basal and cauhne, the 

 latter alternate. Flowers perfect, polygamous or dioecious, generally small, green- 

 ish-white, panicled or racemed. Sepals 4 or 5. Petals none. Carpels commonly 

 few, one-seeded, ribbed or nerved, stipitate or nearly sessile. Stamens oo , ex- 

 serted. [Derivation doubtful.] A genus of about 75 species, most abundant in 

 the north temperate zone, a few in the Andes of South America, India and South 

 Africa, In addition to the species described below, about 8 others occur in south- 

 ern and western N. Am. 



Flowers perfect. 



Stem simple, scape-like; achenes sessile ; filaments slender. i. T. alpinum. 

 Stem branched, leafy ; achenes long-stipitate; filaments spatulate, petal-like. 



2. 7\ clavatum. 

 Flowers dioecious or polygamous. 



Filaments filiform or slender, not wider than the anthers. 



Flowers strictly dioecious ; lower stem leaves distinctly petioled. 

 Achenes terete ; eastern species. 



Leaflets thin, orbicular or broader ; roots not yellow. 



3. T. dioicum. 

 Leaflets thick, obovate or reniform ; roots bright yellow. 



4. T. conaceum. 



