Order 1.— RANUNCULAGELE. 201 



1 C. verticill^ris DC. Stem ascending trees 15 ft. by mean3 of its twisting 

 petioles. At each node is a whorl (arising from two buds) of four ternate 

 leaves, and two large purple flowers. Leaflets acute, 1 — 2' by \ — 1', ovate, 

 Blightly notched. Sepals lanceolate, acute, 15" by 5". Filaments about 24, 

 outer ones (petals ?) dilated, spatulate, tipped with imperfect anthers. — A hand- 

 some climber in highland woods, Vt. (Dr. Phelps) to N. Car. W. to the Rocky Mts. 

 May, Jn. (Atragene Americana Sims). 



2 C. Virginiana L. Lvs. ternate ; lfts. smooth, lobed, and cut-dentate. — A common, 

 hardy climber in hedges and thickets, Can. to Go, and the Miss. Stem 8-15 f. in 

 length, supporting itself on fences aud brushwood by means of the long petioles. 

 Leaflets 2 — 3' by 1^ — 2', with mucronate teeth. Sepals 4, white, oblong-o novate, 

 obtuse. Stamens 28 — 36. Panicles large, axillary, dichotomous. Fruit furnished 

 with long, plumous tails (caudai), appearing in large, downy tufts. Aug.f 



3 C. holosericea Ph. Lvs. ternate ; Ifts. pubescent both sides, entire, oblong- 

 lanceolate. — In Carolina. Plant climbing, downy or silky in all its parts. 

 Panicles corymbous, trichotomous, few flowered. Flowers dioecious, small, white; 

 the linear petals longer than the stamens. Achenia long-plumed. 



4 C. Catesbyana Ph. Lvs. biternate; lfcs. ovate, small, mostly 3-lobed, the 

 lobes entire — In Georgia. Plant climbing, minutely pubescent. Flowers in axil- 

 lary, divaricately forked cymes, small, mostly $ $. Sepals linear oblong. Fila- 

 ments in the $ flowers, linear-margined, without anthers. Achenia short- 

 plumed. 



5 C. cylindrica Sims. Lvs. ternate, pinnate, or decompound; Ifts. ovate (very 

 variable), acute, smooth, membranous. — Virginia to Ga. and La. Stems climbing, 

 but not extensively, smooth. Leaves exceedingly various. Leaflets 3-15, glab- 

 rous, simple, often lobed or 3-parted, rendering the leaf decompound. Peduncle 

 terminal, beariDg a large, nodding, bell-shaped, bluish purple flower. Achenia 

 with short (6 — 9") pubescent tails. Apr. May. 



(i. crispa. Lfts. large (2' — 3'), broadly-ovate, obtuse or subcordate at base. 



Sepals above much dilated and crisped, spreading or reflexed. — Ga. Varying 



imperceptibly into a. (C. crispa L.) 

 y. Wdlteri. Slender throughout Leaflets 3 — 5, very narrow, acute at each end. 



Sepals narrow and scarcely wavy. Stamens sometimes sterile. — Ga. Perhaps 



distinct. (E. Waited, Ph.) 

 S. lineariloba. Lfts. about 15, lance-linear, acute or acuminate at each end. 



Flower more or less eylindraceous below. — Quincy, Fla., La. (C. lineariloba, 



DC.) 



6 C. reticulata Walt Leaves pinnate or ternate. Lfts. obtuse at each end, at 

 length rigid and prominently net-veined. — Fla. Lfts. 3 — 6, stalked as in the other 

 specie^ oblong, ovate or oval, entire, simple or lobed. Flower terminal, nodding; 

 bell-shaped, pale-purple, much resembling that of No. 5. Sepals 1 — 14/ long. 

 Achenia with long silky tails. Apr. 



7 C. Viorna L. Leather-Flower. Lfts. ovate, acute, smooth. Sepals ovate, thick 

 and leathery; ach. with long plumous tails. — Woods, Ohio to Ga. Stems 10 — 15f 

 in length, striate. Lvs. pinnate, those of the branches (bracts) simple, ovate, 

 subsessile. Lfts. ovate or lance-ovate, simple or 3-lobed. Flower terminal, nod- 

 ding, dark purple. Sepals ovate-lanceolate, 1' long, cuspidate point rerlexed. 

 Tails 14/ long. Jn. JL 



8 C. Pitcheri T & G. Lfts. rough with prominent veins, coriaceous. Sepals 

 lance-ovate, thick, achenia with short pubescent tails. — Iowa, 111. to Ark. Leaves 

 pinnate, those of the peduncles simple, subsessile. Leaflets ovate, acute or obtuse, 

 often subcordate at base. Sepals of the nodding flower ovate-lanceolate, dull 

 purple, 8—10" in length, the cuspidate point reflexed. Jn. (Hardly distinct 

 from the preceding.) 



9 C. ochroleuca Ait. Lvs. simple, ovate, silky, pubescent beneath. — Mts. and 

 river banks, N. Y. to Ga. Rare; stem 12—18' high, sericious. Leaves sessile, 

 entire, simple, 2-4' long, § as wide, with prominent veins, upper surface at lengbk 

 smooth. Flower terminal, nodding, ovate-campanulate. Sepals silky outside, 

 yellowish-white within. Plumes of the fruit long, straw-colored. May. 



