56 HERBACEOUS PLANTS 



EXPLANATORY NOTE 



In the following enumeration of the Natural Orders of Plants, 

 the arrangement adopted being that of Durand's Index to the 

 GENERA PLANTARUM (1888), the numerals of the orders do not 

 always correspond with those written on the labels in the beds. 



Brief notes on Natural Orders of large or tropical plants 

 which are not represented in the Herbaceous Beds are also in- 

 cluded for the sake of reference, but are printed in smaller type : 

 further mention of many of these species will be found in the 

 other chapters. Consult the Index. 



It is of course impossible to guarantee that all species named 

 in this GUIDE will always remain on view in the Garden, or 

 even in the positions to which we have assigned them. To the 

 best of our knowledge they have been, or ought to be, there. 



The Natural Arrangement of the Herbaceous Plants in 

 accordance with their supposed natural affinities commences in 

 the north-east corner of the Garden near a Prunus serotina 

 from N. America, with the 



POLYPETALAE 

 PLOT A 



RANALES 



Ord. i. RANUNCULACEAE, or Crowfoot Family, is noted 

 for the deadly poisons and powerful medicines yielded by its 

 members. Five tribes are represented. To the first belong 

 the familiar creepers or climbers of the genus Clematis, of 

 which some beautiful hybrid varieties have been recently 

 planted against the Laboratory (cf. p. 144). Old Man's Beard, 

 C. vitalba, is the only British plant which may give a faint 

 idea of the tangle of lianas in a tropical forest. A large 

 specimen grows near the southern- pond. In the corner bed 

 are several species of Meadow Rue, Thalictrum, T. delavayi 

 being among those which have been grown, and others of the 



