CROWFOOT FAMILY. 39 



I 



\i 10. ACTJEA, BANKBERRY. (The old Greek name of the Elder, from 

 some likeness in the leaves.) 1J. Fl. in spring, ripening the berries late in 



/ summer : growing in rich woods. Leaflets of the thriee-ternate leaves ovate, 



\ sharply cleft, and cut-toothed. 



A. spicata, var. rilbra, RED BANEBERRY. Flowers in a very short 



ovate raceme or cluster, on slender pedicels; berries red. 



A. alba, WHITE BANEBERUY. Taller than the other, smoother, and 



flowering a week or two later, with an oblong raceme ; pedicels in fruit very 



thick, turning red, the berries white. 



11. CIMICIFUGA, BUGBANE. (Latin name, meaning to drive away 

 bugs.) 1J. Like Baneberry, but tall, with very long racemes (l-3), and 

 dry pods instead of berries ; fl. in summer. 



C. raeemdsa, TALL B. or BLACK SXAKEROOT. Stem with the long 

 raceme 4 -8 high; pistil mostly single, with a Hat-topped stigma; short pod 

 holding 2 rows of horizontally flattened seeds. Rich woods. 



C. Americana, AMERICAN B. More slender, only 2 - 4 high ; pis- 

 tils 5, with slender style and minute stigma ; pods raised from the receptacle 

 on slender stalks, flattish, containing few scaly-coated seeds. Alleghanies from 

 Penn. S. ; fl. late summer. 



12. CALTHA, MARSH-MARIGOLD. (Old name, from a word mean- 

 ing goblet, of no obvious application.) ]\. One common species, 



C. paiustris, MARSH-MARIGOLD, wrongly called COWSLIPS in the 

 country. Stem l-2 high, bearing one or more rounded or somewhat kid- 

 ney-shaped entire or crenatc leaves, and a few flowers with showy yellow calyx, 

 about 1 j' across ; followed by a cluster of many-seeded pods. Marshes, in 

 spring ; young plant boiled for " greens." 



13. TROLLIUS, GLOBE-FLOWER. (Name of obscure meaning) 

 Flower large, like that of Caltha, but sepals not spreading except in our 

 wild species; a row of small nectary-like petals around the stamens, and tho 

 leaves deeply palmatcly cleft or parted. ty Fl. spring. 



T. laxus, WILD G. Sepals only 5 or 6, spreading wide open, yellowish 

 or dull greenish-white ; petals very small, seeming like abortive stamens. 

 Swamps, N. & W. 



T. Europseus, TRUE or EUROPEAN G. Sepals bright yellow (10-20) 

 broad and converging into a kind of globe, the flower appearing as if semi- 

 double. Cult, from Eu. 



T. Asiaticus, ASIATIC G. Like the last, but flower rather more open 

 and deep orange yellow. Cult, from Siberia. 



14. COPTIS, GOLDTHREAD. (From Greek word to cut, from the 

 divided leaves.) 1J. The only common species is, 



C. trifblia, THREE-LEAVED G. A delicate little plant, in bogs and damp 

 cold woods N., sending up early in spring single white flowers (smaller than 

 those of Wood Ancmony) on slender scapes, followed by slender-stalked leaves 

 of three wedge-shaped leaflets ; these become bright-shining in summer, and last 

 over winter. The roots or underground shoots arc of long and slender yellow 

 librcs, used as a popular medicine. 



15. HELLEBORUS, HELLEBORE. (Old Greek name, alludes to the 

 poisonous properties.) U European plants, with pcdate leaves and pretty 

 large flowers, in early spring. 



H. viridis, GREEN II., has stems near 1 high, bearing 1 or 2 leaves and 

 2 or 3 pale yellowish-green flowers : run wild in a few places E. 



H. niger, BLACK II., the flower called CHRISTMAS ROSE (because flow- 

 ering in warmer parts of England in winter), has single large flowers (2' -3' 

 across, white, turning pinkish, then green), on scnpcs shorter than the shining 

 evergreen leaves, in earliest spring. Rare in gardens. 



