40 CROWFOOT FAMILY. 



16. NIGiELLA, FENNEL-FLOWER. (Name from the black seeds.) (I) 

 Garden plants from Eu. and Orient ; with leafy stems, the leaves finely di- 

 vided, like Fennel ; known by having the 5 ovaries united below into one 

 5-styled pod. Seeds large, blackish, spicy ; have been used as a substitute 

 for spice or pepper. 



N. Damascena, COMMON F. or RAGGED-LADY. Flower bluish, rather 

 large, surrounded and overtopped by a finely-divided leafy involucre, like the 

 other leaves ; succeeded by a smooth inflated 5-celled pod, in which the lining 

 of the cells separates from the outer part. 



N. sativa, NUTMEG-FLOWER. Cult, in some old gardens ; has coarser 

 leaves, and smaller rough pods. 



17. AQTTILEGIA, COLUMBINE. (From aquila, an eagle, the spurs of 

 the petals fancied to resemble talons.) 1J. Well-known, large-flowered 

 ornamental plants : flowers in spring and early summer, usually nodding, so 

 that the spurs ascend. 



* North American species, with long straight spurs to the corolla. 



A. Canad6nsis, WILD C. Flowers about 2' long, scarlet and orange, 

 or light yellow inside, the petals with a very short lip or blade, and stamens 

 projecting. Common on rocks. 



A. Skinneri, MEXICAN C., is taller, later, and considerably larger-flow- 

 ered than the last, the narrower acute sepals usually tinged greenish ; otherwise 

 very similar. Cult. 



A. caerulea, LONG-SPURRED C., native of the Rocky Mountains, lately 

 introduced to gardens, and worthy of special attention ; has blue and white 

 flowers, the ovate sepals often l', the very slender spurs 2' long, the blade of 

 the petals (white) half the length of the (mostly blue) sepals, spreading. 

 * * Old World species, ivith hooked or incurved spurs to the corolla. 



A. vulgaris, COMMON GARDEN C. Cult, in all gardens, l-3 high, 

 many-flowered ; spurs rather longer than the blade or rest of the petal ; pods 

 pubescent. Flowers varying from blue to purple, white, &c., greatly changed 

 by culture, often full double, with spur within spur, sometimes all changed 

 into a rosette of plane petals or sepals. 



A. glandu!6sa, GLANDULAR C. A more choice species, 6'-l high, 

 with fewer very showy deep blue flowers, the blade of the petals white or white- 

 tipped and twice the length of the short spurs ; pods and summit of the plant 

 glandular-pubescent. 



A. Sibirica, SIBERIAN C. Equally choice with the last, and like it ; 

 but the spurs longer than the mostly white-tipped short blade, as well as tho 

 pods, &c. smooth. 



18. DELPHINIUM, LARKSPUR. (From the Latin name of the dol- 

 phin, alluding to the shape of the flower.) The familiar and well-marked 

 flower of this genus is illustrated in Lessons, p. 91, 94, fig. 183, 184, 192. 



* Garden annuals from Eu., with only the 2 upper petals, united info one body, one 

 pistil, and leaves finely and much divided: fl. summer and fall. 



D. Cons61ida, FIELD L. Escaped sparingly into roadsides and fields ; 

 flowers scattered on the spreading branches, blue, varying to pink or white; 

 pod smooth. 



D. Ajacis, ROCKET L. More showy, in gardens, and with similar flowers 

 crowded in a long close raceme, and downy pods ; spur shorter : some marks on 

 the front of the united petals were fancied to read AIAI Ajax. 



# * Perennials, with 4 separate petals and 2-5, mostly 3 pistils. 



D. grandifl.6rum, GREAT-FL. L. of the gardens, from Siberia and China, 

 is l-2 high, with leaves cut into narrower linear divisions ; blue flowers, H' 

 or more across, with ample oval sepals, and the 2 lower petals rounded and 

 entire. Various in color, also double-flowered ; summer. 



D. ch.eUanth.um, of which T). FORMOSUM, SHOWY L., is one of the 

 various garden forms, also Siberian, is commonly still larger-flowered, deep 



