46 BUTTERCUP FAMILY 



glaucous, orange-colored within, 4-7 cm. long; fruit-cone about 4-7 cm. 

 long; acuminata, pointed, in reference to the leaf. 



Cultivated. Distributed from western N. Y. to 111., south to Ken., N. 

 C. and Ala., west to Ark. 



The wood is soft, yellowish brown, and weighs 29 lbs. per cubic foot. 



Ranunculaceae Buttercup Family 



Herbs or sometimes woody plants, with acrid usually colorless sap ; 

 leaves alternate (opposite in Clematis), simple or compound, petioles 

 dilated at the base, sometimes with stipule-like appendages; flowers 

 regular or irregular, polypetalous or apetalous, with sepals often colored 

 like petals; stamens numerous (or rarely few); pistils many, or rarely 

 solitary, 1 -celled; ovules 1-many, anatropous; fruit achenes, follicles, or 

 a berry. 



Clematis Linne 1753 Virgin's Bower 

 ( Gr. clematis, a climbing plant. ) 



Climbing vines or erect or ascending perennial herbs, sometimes 

 woody; climbing by bending or twining of the leaf-stalks; leaves 

 opposite, pinnately compound, lobed or in some species .entire; flowers 

 solitary or in panicles ; sepals 4 or rarely 5, petaloid ; petals 0, or as 

 many as the sepals; pistils many; styles long, plumose, silky or naked, 

 persistent; fruit 1 -seeded achenes. 



A genus of over 100 species of wide geographical distribution. The 

 greatest number of species occur in the temperate regions. Besides the 

 following, some 20 others occur in the southern and western parts of 

 North America. 



Key to the Species 



1 . Flowers large, solitary on the old branches ; 



sepals purple C. verticillaris 



2. Flowers smaller, numerous, on the years 



growth ; sepals white 



a. Leaflets toothed; flowering in summer C. virginiana 



b. Leaflets entire; flowering in autumn C. paniculata 



Clematis verticillaris De Candolle 181 8 Purple Virgin's Bower 

 Atragene americana Sims 1806 



A trailing or climbing vine with smooth angular stems and large 

 nodes; leaves trifoliate, leaflets ovate, rounded or cordate at the base, 

 a'tute at the apex, coarsely and evenly serrate, thin, glabrous, 3-6 cm. 



