26 THE GENUS HELLEBORUS. [part r. 



garden plant, called the Winter Aconite, which 

 was included by Linnaeus in the genus Helle- 

 borus, has a decided involucre, on which the 

 little yellow, cup-shaped flower reposes, like a 

 fairy bowl upon a leafy plate. The conspicuous 

 part of this flower, like the others, is the calyx, 

 which encloses a number of short tubular petals. 

 This little plant is now separated from Helle- 

 borus, and formed into a distinct genus, under 

 the name of Eranthus hyemalis, from its carpels 

 being each furnished with a very short foot- 

 stalk, by which they are attached to the recep- 

 tacle, instead of growing upon it as in the other 

 genera. The root is tuberous, or rather it 

 forms a kind of underground stem, sending up 

 tufts of leaves and flowers from the different 

 buds. Thus we often see several tufts of the 

 Winter Aconite growing so far from each other as 

 to appear distinct ; but which, in fact, all spring 

 from the same root. The Globe-flower ( Trollius 

 europaus)^ which has a golden yellow, globe- 

 shaped calyx, enclosing a number of small oblong 

 petals, is nearly allied to the Winter Aconite ; 

 and the Fennel-flower, or Devil in a Bush (Nigella 

 damascena), agrees with the common Hellebore 

 in the adhesion of its carpels. 



