IIANUNCULACE.^. 1 



OiiDEK I. RANUNCULACE^. 



By a. Gkay. 



[Descriptions of species and varieties of recent publication, which have been inserted, as well as 

 those nioililieil by the editor, in tlie liglit of literature and collections subsequent to the preparation 

 of the original manuscript, are marked by asterisks (*).] 



Herbs, or some woody plants, with acrid colorless juice. All the parts of the 

 flower distiuct and free (hypogynous, except Pceonieai), with carpels not uncom- 

 monly and stamens mostly indefinitely numerous, even tlie sepals or petals some- 

 times more than tlie normal four oi' five, the former very often petaloid, the 

 latter in a large majority of the genera either wanting or rudimentary or con- 

 verted into nectaries. Anthers continuous with the filament. Ovules solitary or 

 sevei'al, anatropous. No disk nor arillus except in the last tribe. Seeds con- 

 taining a hard albumen, with a minute or small embryo at its base : cotyle- 

 dons usually very short. Base of petiole commonly dilated and thin, often 

 stipule-like. 



Tribe I. CLEMATIDE^E. Sepals (normally 4) valvate in the bud, the margins 

 often induplicate. Petals none or small, transitional into stamens. Stamens 

 numerous, with adnate anthers. Carpels numerous in a head, long-styled, in fruit 

 akenes. Seed suspended : rhaphe dorsal. Ilerbs, or when climbing often woody, 

 with leaves all opi^osite ! 



1. CLEMATIS. Esseutiiilly the only genus. 



Tribe II. ANEMONEiE. Sepals few or numerous (3 or 4 to 20), inibricated in 

 the bud, petaloid, or at least not green. Stamens for the most part indefinitely 

 numerous. Carpels numerous, or occasionally few, capitate or spicate, one-ovuled, 

 in fruit akenes or utricles. Herbs, with alternate leaves, or with uppermost 

 opposite or whorled, never climbing. (Anetnonece and Ranunculece of authors.) 



* Petals none, rarely some petaloid sterile stamens (stamiuodes) : ovule and seed suspended : 

 rhaphe dorsal. 



•1— Cauline or involucral leaves opposite or whorled : peduncles solitary or umbellate, one- 

 flowered : sepals petaloid : fruit of true akenes. 



2. ANEMONE. Stigma iutrorse-unilateral from the summit of the subulate or filiform 

 style. Leaves compound or dissected ; cauline ones or involucre distant from the flower. 



3. HEPATICA. Stigma introrse-uni lateral on the short subulate style. Involucre close to 

 the flower and simulating a trisepalous calyx . true leaves only radical and simply lobed. 



4. ANEMONELLA. Stigma strictly terminal, broad and depressed, at flowering time 

 subsessile. Akenes terete, angulate-costate, 4 to 15, on a small receptacle. Radical leaves 

 and involucre compound, the latter subtending an umbel of flowers. 



-t-^ -h- All the leaves alternate, none involucral ; inflorescence paniculate, cymose, or racemose : 

 flowers more connnonly unisexual : akenes sometimes utricular. 



5. THALICTRUM. Sepals comnletely or incompletely petaloid. Akenes not very nu- 

 merous, sometimes few •. receptacle small. Stigma unilateral on the style or sessile and 

 elongated. 



* * Petals none : sepals petaloid, caducous : ovule and seed ascending from near base of 

 the" cell : rhaphe ventral : akenes utricular : leaves all alternate. 



6. TRAUTVETTERIA. Sepals 3 to 5, l)road, concave, imbricated in the bnd. Stamens 

 numerous ; filaments clavate : anthers didymous, pointless. Utricular akenes 20 or more, 



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