THE VEGETATIVE ORGANS COMPARED 333 
annual; while if there are signs (such as a swollen root or 
leaf-rosette) implying only a past year’s growth with no 
provision beyond, the plant would be cailed a biennial, 7. e., 
oné completing its life in two years. 
Fic. 287, I.—Columbine (Agquwilegia vulgaris, Crowfoot Family, Ranun- 
culacee). Flowering top. Flower, entire and cut vertically. Pistil 
surrounded by rudimentary stamens. (Baillon.)—Perennial herb 
45-60 cm. tall; leaves finely hairy; flowers purple, violet, white, etc.; 
fruit dry. Eurasia. Common in gardens. 
Nearly all the members of this family are perennial herbs. 
A few, such as the mouse-tail, are annuals; and there are some 
more or less woody forms, as for example, certain species of 
Clematis which are woody and climbing. None of the family 
are trees.! 
1 The following signs are often used for brevity in botanical descrip- 
tions: @ for an annual, @) for a biennial, and 2 for a perennial herb; 
~ for a vine whether trailing, climbing, or twining; P for a woody plant; 
“4 for asmall shrub, 5 for a large one; 5 for a shrubby tree and 5 for 
one of considerable size. To these we may add © to mean herbaceous 
as a counterpart to the sign for woody. 
