244 



CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE NATIONAL HERBARIUM. 



Sepals not spurred; perennials or biennials; 

 leaves not all basal ; receptacle merely 

 conic or sliort-cylindric. 

 Achenes transversely wrinkled; petals 

 wbite; plants floating; leaves dis- 

 sected into capillary segments 7. Batrachium (p. 250). 



Achenes not transversely wrinkled ; petals 

 yellow, at least outside; plants not 

 floating; leaves not dissected into 

 capillary segments. 



Achenes not ribbed 8. Ranunculus (p. 251). 



Achenes longitudinally ribbed 9. Halerpestes (p. 253). 



Petals wanting, but the sepals often petal-like. 

 Sepals imbricated in the bud ; leaves alternate 

 or only those subtending the inflores- 

 cence opposite. 

 Flowers numerous, not subtended by op- 

 posite or verticillate bracts. 

 Seed pendulous; leaves compound ..10. Thalictrum (p. 254). 



Seed erect; leaves simple 16. Trautvetteria (p. 258). 



Flowers solitary or few, subtended by 

 opposite or verticillate bracts. 

 Styles short, not elongated in fruit. .11. Anemone (p. 255). 

 Styles much elongated in fruit (plu- 

 mose) 12. Pulsatilla (p. 255). 



Sepals valvate in the bud; leaves all opposite. 

 Flowers cymose-paniculate, dioecious or 

 polygamo-dicecious. (Stamens and 



sepals spreading) 13. Clematis (p. 256). 



Flowers solitary, perfect. 



Stamens erect; sepals thick, more or 

 less convergent; staminodia 



wanting 14. Viorna (p. 256). 



Stamens spreading; sepals thin, 

 spreading; staminodia often 

 present 15. Atragene (p. 258). 



1. DELPHINIUM L. Larkspur. 



Perennial herbs with leafy stems; sepals 5, irregular, petal-like, the upper one pro- 

 longed into a spur; petals 4, irregular, the upper continued as a short spur, enveloped 

 in the spur of the calyx; pistils 1 to 5, forming many-seeded pods in fruit; flowers in 

 terminal racemes. 



KEY TO THE SPECIES. 



Plants low, 50 cm. high or mostly less. 



Leaves not crowded at the base of the stem, the cauline 

 like the basal ones; flowers dark blue. 



Plants viscid; lower pedicels not elongated 2. D. alpestre. 



Plants not viscid; lower pedicels elongated 1. D. nelsonii. 



Leaves forming a cluster about the base of the stem, the 

 cauline ones few or none; flowers blue to whitish. 

 Flowers whitish or very pale blue 3. D. camjwrum. 



