PRAIRIE-FLOWERS OF EARLY SPRING. 89 



feet or hermaphroditic, having both stamens and pistil, while others 

 are unisexual, being either staminate or pistillate. This appears to 

 indicate that the elm is passing through a transition state, either to- 

 ward a final separation of the sexes, as in the hazel, or is approaching 

 those plants which have their flowers all perfect, as the magnolias or 

 tulip-trees. 



The Ranunculus reperis (L.) opened its bright-yellow petals on 

 April 14th, and was the only new flower for that date. This creeping 

 buttercup is one of a large genus Avhich takes its name from the Latin 

 word for a little frog, applied to these plants by Pliny, because many 

 species are aquatic and abound with the frogs. The English farmers 

 rank this early spring plant among their weeds, and like many other 

 plant-pests it has a remarkable provision for spreading and occupying 

 the land. Shortly after the flowers have faded the plants send out 

 runners which quickly take root at their joints as in the strawberry, 

 and before midsummer has passed the mother-plant may have a brood 

 of young extending far beyond the protection of her "wings" or 

 leaves. 



April 15th has four species recorded against it on the note-book, 

 namely : Isopyrum biternatum (T. and G.), Dicentra cucullaria (DC), 

 Capsella Bursa-pastoris (Moench), and Erythronium albidum (Nutt). 

 What a variety is here presented in so small a number ! There are 

 as many orders represented as species. One is an endogen of the lily 

 family, and should be called spring-lily, instead of white dog's-tooth 

 violet. There is very little to suggest a violet in shape or color, and, 

 as for the " dog's-tooth " part, the quicker it is extracted the better ! 

 The other three species are disposed among the exogens ; the isopy- 

 rum, or enemion, falling in close by the side of the crowfoots and the 

 marsh-mangolds, but a thousand times more delicate in habit than the 

 latter. It is the ordinary wind-flower exalted in its foliage to the 

 attractiveness of a maiden-hair fern. The student, during his first 

 spring among the early flowers, is quite liable to confuse this isopyrum 

 with the rue-anemone (Thalictrum anemonoides, Michx.). At this he 

 should not grieve because older heads have been troubled with this 

 little thalictrum which now is no more a thalictrum. Of it De Can- 

 dolle wrote, "Habit and frondescence of isopyrum with the inflores- 

 cence of anemone and the fruit of thalictrum." Spach has placed the 

 little puzzler in a new genus and calls it a little anemone that is much 

 like a thalictrum, viz., Anemonella thalictroides. This is only one of 

 many instances where further study of a species has led to a new set- 

 ting in the system ; in fact, a large part of the work of the systematic 

 botanist in the future will be the erasing of old, confusing, ill-defined 

 lines, and the drawing of clearer and stronger ones. But, wherever 

 the rue-anemone may go in the classification, its likeness to the isopy- 

 rum will remain, and, coming as these two plants do at the same time 

 in April, they will always furnish a test for the discriminating powers 



