AMONG THE WILD FLOWERS. 21 
cup Family, RanuncuLace&. Familiarity with 
these Orders will be gained by gradually 
acquiring a knowledge of the structure of the 
flowers of the plants. We shall in due time 
discuss the characteristics of the most interest- 
ing of them. 
Meanwhile let us look in the banks again for 
living specimens. There is the little Barren 
Strawberry, Potentilla fragartastrum, much re- 
sembling the true strawberry, but much smaller, 
and as distinct from the latter as its dry hard 
fruit is from the pulpy fruit which regales our 
palate in the summer. This plant is often 
mistaken for the Wood Strawberry, /vagaria 
Vesca, which has a whiter looking bloom, larger 
petals closer together, and the flowers lifted on 
stalks several inches long, and does not come 
into flower until May, when the little Potentilla 
is dying away. Both these specimens have 
many stamens in the flower affixed to the 
Calyx, and are therefore examples of the Linn. 
Class XII., Zcosandria. They both belong to 
the Nat. Order Rosacea, the Rose Family. 
Then there are the shining yellow flowers 
of the Pilewort, or Celandine, Ranunculus 
Ficaria, of Linn. Class XIII, Polyandria, the 
