46 THE AMERICAN BOTANIST 



Jt is quite otherwise with that great alHance known to 

 the hotanist as the Ranales. Besides the Raniincuhiceae, or 

 buttercup family, for which it is named, it includes the Anon- 

 aceae or custard apples, the Nymphaeaceae or water-lilies, the 

 Magnoliaceae and various other groups noted for the size of 

 individual blossoms. We have only to call to mind the 

 peony, pawpaw, May-apple, clematis and water-lily, to realize 

 this; in fact, with few exceptions, the largest flowers in the 

 world are found in this group. The blossoms of the Am- 

 azon water-lily (Victoria regia) are often more than twelve 

 inches in diameter and even in our own part of the world the 

 yellow nelumbo may reach the size of a quart bowl. The 

 magnolias which, in the Western Hemisphere occupy the re- 

 gion between tlie plants just mentioned, have flowers quite in 

 keeping with theirs. The flowers of the more hardy northern 

 species often approach those of nekunbo in size while Mag- 

 nolia grandiflo7-a of the South, the species which always 

 comes first to mind when magnolias are mentioned, occasion- 

 ally reaches the dimensions of the great water-lily itself. 



Magnolia blossoms however, have other claims to our 

 attention, besides those of mere size. They are among the 

 most beautiful of single flowers \\\i\\ thick, waxy, petals that 

 form a substantial cup from which a pleasing perfume is 

 poured. The structure of the flower is also of interest. 

 Among other things it shows the magnolia family to be pretty 

 well down in the list as plant relationships go. Indeed, cer- 

 tain characteristics, such as the stamens and carpels arranged 

 in spirals instead of cycles, suggest a derivation from some 

 pine-like ancestor. The petals and sepals also fail to conform 

 to the standards set for higher types of flowers and seem 

 quite undecided as to their affinities. Instead of adopting 

 the five-parted arrangement characteristic of dicotyledons. 



