KANUSCULACE,E, 14 



ORDER I. RANUNCULACE^. The Crowfoot Tribe. 



Calyx — Sepals usually 5, sometimes 3, 4 or 6f mostly decMuous and imbricate in oEstivation. 



f'oToUa — Petals '3 — 15, sometimes 0, hypogyiioHs. 



Stamftis — Indefinite, numerous, distinct, hypo^^nous ; — anthers adnate or innate. 



Ovaries — Numerous, rarely solitary or few, seated on the torus. 



Fruit — Achenia, baccate or follicular. 



A moderately large order of plants, g-enerally herbs, in a few instances climbing-. The 

 leaves, Which are mostly aiierwate, are variously divided, with half-clasping petioles. Very 

 few of the genera are found in hot climates. 



Properties. Almost all the genera contain an acrid juice highly prejudicial to animal 

 life, but easily decomposed and deprived of its activity by a heat of 212 deg. They also 

 lose tlieir poisonous qualities in drying. This order is rich in ornamental cultivated plants. 



Conspectus of the Genera. 



1 ; anthers introrse ; / '""'■'=""^'' "^''^"^ "^ °''''^"?' j^'""":, \ 



' ' ( racemes long, virgate, Cimiafuga. 2 



J-. I petals not spurred; flowers erect, NIgelki. ^17 



' I petals spurred, equal ; flowers iiodiVing,- A'juilegia. I'i 



'ju 1.» J o ^ . ( corolla irregular ; sepals 5, | "PPCT'^'"= f P^^^ed at base, mphmmm. 10 



Styles ^2 — 3; ) 6 i i ' | upper one large, vaulted, Aronitum. 14 



I corolla regular; fruit follicular, Peronia. 10 



( fruit acheiiiT • ) '^■*- entiWor palmately div. Ranunculus. 4 



r petals 5-1.5 ; ' { Y^"--"^' P''"!'"'^'/ '"^ided, Mo^. 15 



( fruit follicn • leaves eauline, Trolhus. 12 



.„_,..! Uruit lollicu., I leaves radical, Coptis. 11 



■''1 f involucre calyx-like, near the flower, Hepatica. 7 



I petals 0, the! involucre leal-like, distant from the flower, Anemone. ($ 



[ calyx colrd.; ! I Ivs. opposite ; stem climbing, Cle7nuti.s. 5 



I involucre 0; J ( 2-3-ternate, T/ialirtrmn. 3 



( Ivs. alternate, I simple, Caltka. 'J 



( 2 only, Hydrastis. 8 



1. ACTiE' A. 



Calyx 4-sepalcd, deciduous; petals 4, often wanting; stig- 

 ma 1 ; berry 1-cellcd, man^-seeded ; seeds hemispherical. 



Gr . ax-Tt), the elder, which plant these herbs resemble in foliage. Cal. infe- 

 rior, of four circular, obtuse sepals. Pet. oblong, clawed. Fii. about 30, dilated 

 above. Aiith. 2-lobed. Ova. ovate. Stig. sessile. Berry globular, smooth, 

 with a lateral furrow. Seeds in two rows. — Perennial herbs with palmately 

 divided leaves. 



1. A. RUBRA. B. A. Americana, P. 



Leaves twice and thrice ternate ; raceme hemispherical ; petals acute ; pedi- 

 cels of the fruit slender; berries red, ovate-oblong. Not uncommon in rocky 

 woods, and rarely found in the borders of fields. The stem divides into two 

 branches, one of which usually bears leaves only, the other, leaves and a btinch 

 of flowers. The leaves are irregularly 2 and 3-ternute with leaflets ovate- 

 lanceolate, variously lobed and cut. Petioles lengthened, smooth as well as 

 nearly the whole plant. Raceme of flowers dense, white. Pedicels smallest 

 in their midst. Plantabout2feethigh, slightly glaucous. May. Red Baiuberrij. 



2. A. ALBA. B. A. Americana, /3 alba. P. 



Leaves twice and thrice ternate; rficeme oblong; petals truncate; pedicels 

 of the fruit thicker than the peduncle ; berries white. Resembles the foregoing 

 in foliage and habits, but is readily distinguished bj' the racemes, wl>ic!*- are 

 narrower and much longer, by the thickened pedicels and tiie milk-white 

 fruit. U'hitc Buncberry. 



