76 SOUTH AFRICAN FLOWERING PLANTS, 



An experiment was made by an American botanist 

 with an aquatic plant of the United States called 

 ProiiGrpin'aca., which bears complete leaves in the air, 

 but dissected ones under water. He added certain salts 

 to the water ; by this means the excess of water 

 was withdrawn from the protoplasm, and the plant 

 then bore complete leaves under water. 



Anemo'ne. — A. capen'ds is a herb, common on 

 Table Mountain. The flower-stem has two or three 

 leafy bracts forming an Involucre, or ''wrapper." Like 

 Ranun'cnhis, it has all the parts of the flower quite 

 free. It has no corolla, but many rosy- white coloured 

 sepals. There are many stamens and carpels, which 

 turn into achenes ; but wdiile the styles remain as little 

 curved points in those of Buttercups (Fig. 26, 4), they 

 grow out into long feathery tails by forming hairs 

 along them, in the achenes of Avcmonc. They 

 probably assist in dispersing the fruit. 



Clem'atis. — This genus has only four white or 

 coloured sepals, no corolla, but co stamens and co 

 carpels, all being free, and a fruit of co achenes. 



It differs from all others in being a woody stemmed 

 and climbing plant. It climbs by means of its leaf- 

 stalks, or petioles ; for these are very sensitive to 

 touch, and as soon as they come in contact with the 

 shoots of other plants, they twist round them, and 

 finally grasp them tightly. Then the petioles grow 

 much thicker and stronger ; nor do they ever fall off, 



