DEVELOPMENT OF PLANTS 



409 



bine. The remarkable brilliant yellow of the flowers, as seen in 

 the buttercup and marsh marigold, etc., has been regarded as the 

 primitive coloration of the perianth, and it is to be noted that 

 the flowers showing reversion to this color assume a duller 



Fig. 307. Highest types of the Ranales : A, inflorescence of monks- 

 hood. B, section of a flower — s, helmet-like sepal enclosing nectar organ, 

 n. C, flower of larkspur. D, section of flower — s, spurred sepal enclosing 

 two-spurred nectar organs, n. E, fruit of larkspur consisting of 3 pistils 

 maturing as follicles. 



yellow. This order furnishes a great variety of showy orna- 

 mental plants, but none with fragrant flowers. Many contain 

 acrid juices and poisonous alkaloids, some of which are of medic- 

 inal value, as aconite, hydrastin, helleborine, etc. Others are of 

 value for the volatile oils, as sassafras, cinnamon, camphor, nut- 

 meg, etc. The simple structure of the more characteristic flowers 

 indicates that this order is a very ancient one and the pronounced 

 tendency to vary would suggest that possibly many of the higher 

 orders of the Choripetalae have been derived from this group. 

 The origin of the monocotyledons from this order has also been 

 suggested, owing to the structural features of the embryo and 

 vascular bundles of certain groups. 



