. • I. RANUXCULACE^, 5 



oflen bearded tails. Seeds without any arillus. Embryo veiy small, near 

 tlie base of a copious albuincii. — Herbs either annual or with a pereuuial 

 rootstoct, or creeping' stolons, with radical or alternate leaves, or climbers 

 with opposite leaves. Leaves entire, or palmatcly or pinnatcly lobed or 

 dinded, the petiole often dilated and sheathing at the base, or rarely accom- 

 panied by stipular appendages. Hairs, when present, simple. Flowers 

 regular (or in a few^ genera, not Australian, irregular), terminal or leaf-opposed, 

 rai-ely axillaiy, solitary panicidate or racemose. 



_ 



Ihe Order is chiefly nmnerous hi the temperate regions of the northern hemisphere, rai-e 

 willuu the tropics, and not represented by many species in the southern hemisphere. The 

 Austrahan ones are all cxtratropical, and belong to genera more numerously represented iu 



iRiBE I. ClematideEe- — Sepals valvate, Carpeh indeJuscenti with X. pendulous ovule 

 or seed in each, Stems often climbing. Leaves opposite. 



Petals none 1. CLf;3iATis. 



Tribe II. A.n^rxxoTx^^, —Sepals imbricate. Carpels indeJdscent^ with 1 pendulous 

 or«/^ or seed in each. Herbs. Leaves radical or alternate or forming an involucre 

 below the flower, 



Petals none. Invohicre below the flower, Achencs in a short head , . 2. Axemoxe, 

 Petals miuiitc, narrow. No involucre. Achenes very numerous, iu a 

 long, close, slender spike . * 3- ^Ivosurus. 



Tribe III. Raaunculese.— ^^J7^^/5 imbricate. Carpels indehlsceut, with 1 ascending 

 ovule or seed in each. Herbs, Leaves radical or alternate. 

 Sepals deciduous. Petals 3, 5, or more 4. Ranunculus. 



Tribe IV. Helleboreae.— S'rp^?^ imbricate. Carpels usually opening along ihe inner 

 ^^ge, containing sever a! ovules or seeds. Herbs. Leaves radical or alternate. 

 Petals none 5. Caltha. 



CLEMATIS 



Sepals 4, or rarely 5 to 8, petaWike, valvate in the bud. Petals none, or 

 smaller than the sepals, and passing gradually into the stamens. Carpels 

 ^any, with one pendulous ovule in each. Achenes capitate, sessile, or seareely 

 stipitate, terminating iu a pluumse or simple tail, formed by the persistent 

 and enlarged style.— Stem woody and climbing, or rarely dwarf or prostrate, 

 Leaves opposite, pinnatcly or tcrnately divided into three or more petiolu- 

 '^te segments, or rarely simple, the petiole often twisted or twining. Plowcrs 

 axdlary or terminal, solitary, or in panicles, which ai'e shortened branches 

 ^vith the leaves reduced to small bracts, and often polygamous or diacious. 



A \^y^^ genus, dispersed over the temperate regions bath of the New and Die Old World, 

 ^^^ wnhin the tropics. The Anstralian species are all endemic, although one is closely 

 ^Tinected with a South Pnciiic one. They have all simple or once- or twice-ternately divided 

 Jf'^ves, dioecious, apetalous, \vhite or crcam-coloiu-ud lio\vers, the males nsnally without any 

 "Varies, the females with a few imperfect stamens, and the carpels of all have plumose tads. 



^'^i^^'^^iii^/i'' or oblong, tlj)p(*d hy a subulate or oblong appendage. 

 noody climbers. Leaflets mostly once or twice tcrnate. 

 Anlher-points sleuJur. Leaflets almost coriaceous, when 



large usuaUy toothed, wlien small twice ternate . - . 1. ^- aristaia. 

 Anther-points very short. Leaflets usually 3, rather large, , . . , 



thm, and entire 3. Cghjcinoides. 



m 



