cHAi-. I.] THE GENUS AQUILEGTA. 31 



collar, or as the Italians call it la noda vitale; 

 and h the fibrous roots, through the points of 

 which the plant takes up its food. 



The flowers of the other kinds of Larkspur 

 resemble this one in their general appearance, 

 though they differ in the minor details. Those 

 of the Rocket Larkspur (Z). Ajacis) lose their 

 spurs when they become double ; and those of 

 the Bee Larkspurs have their petals nearly black, 

 and instead of standing up like ears, they are so 

 curiously folded as to resemble a bee nestling in 

 the centre of the flower. 



THE GENUS AQUILEGIA. 



The common Columbine {Aquilegia vulgaris) 

 differs from all the flowers I have yet described 

 in having the sepals and petals not only of the 

 same colour, but so intermingled as to be 

 scarcely distinguishable from each other. The 

 flower (given on a reduced scale at a 'v^fig- 12) 

 is composed of five horn-shaped petals, which 

 are curved at the upper end, and form a kind 

 of coronet round the stem ; and five oval sepals, 

 which are placed alternately with them; all, 

 generally speaking, being of the same colour. 

 The horn-shaped petal, or nectary as it was 

 called by Linnseus, is attached to the receptacle 

 at the thickened rim (Z>), while the sepal is 

 attached at the point (c) ; d shows the dis- 



