DICOTYLEDONS 3 1 



however to be free from it ; or it is so attenuated 

 that the plant is collected from the rivers and 

 given to horses and cattle in some parts of the 

 midland counties. 



The principle is volatile, so that it is easily de- 

 stroyed by drying, or boiling, and even pickling, 

 as vinegar renders the plant harmless. The roots 

 as a rule are the most energetic ; but even the 

 petals of buttercups, and especially of the Acon- 

 ite, are deleterious if put into the mouth and 

 masticated. 



The members of this Order most likely to cause 

 trouble are the following : — 



Traveller's Joy, or Old Man's Beard 

 {Clematis Vitalbd), — The first English name was 

 given to it by Gerard in 1597. He thus writes in 

 his Herball : — " It is called commonly Viorna quasi 

 vias ornans^ of decking and adorning waies and 

 hedges, where people trauell, and thereupon I haue 

 named it the Trauveilers loie." The second name 

 is given to it because of its white, wool-like mass 

 of feathery achenes when ripe in autumn (see 

 Fig. 8). 



The plant has compound leaves of two pairs, 

 and one single leaflet as shown in the figure. Their 

 stalks are extremely sensitive to touch ; so that 

 they twine round anything they happen to meet 

 and support the plant. 



The flower has four sepals, no corolla, many 



