LESSON 30. J now TO STUDY TLAN'TS. 185 



of the pagt' wluM'C th:it lainily and the plants iiiKh-r it are descrihe'l. 

 The propositions of the same graile, two or more, from which de- 

 termination is ti> l)e made, not only stand one directly under the 

 other, but liegin with the >anie word or phra-i^, or with some 

 coiMiterparl, — in the picscnt ea-e aiiain with " StameiH," and with 

 four pro[)Ositions, with one and oidy one of which the flower in 

 hand shonlil agree. It agrees with the last of tin; fonr : " Stamens 

 not monadelphous." 



i)oS. The propositions under this, to which we are now directed, 

 ftre six, beginning with the word '* Pistils " or " Pistil." The one 

 which applies to the flower in hand is, clearly, the fourth : " Pistils 

 numerous or more than one, separate, on the receptacle." 



oo4.' The terms of the analysis directly subordinate to this are 

 only two : we have to choose between " Stamens borne on the 

 calyx," and " Stamens borne on the receptacle." The latter is true 

 of our flower. The terms subordinate to this are four, beginning 

 with the word " Leaves." The fourth alone accords: '• Leaves not 

 j)cliatt! ; herbs," — and this line leads out to the CnowKOOT 

 Family, and refers to p. 33. 



o3"j. Turning to that i>age, a perusal of the brief account of the 

 marks of the RanunculacejE (the technical Latin name) or Crow- 

 foot Family, assures us that the Key has led us safely and i-eadily 

 to a correct result. Knowing the order or family, we have next to 

 ascertain the genus. Here are twenty genera to choose from ; but 

 their characters are analyzed under sections and successive sub- 

 sections (§. * , -t-, t-+. &c.) so as to facilitate the way to the desired 

 result. Of the two primary sections, we must reject § 1, as it agrees 

 oidv in respect to the pistils, and difters wholly in the characters 

 furni<hc(l by the sepals, the petals, and the leaves. With "§ 2. 

 Srpnfs imbricnfedin the hud: not clinibi)ig nor icoody'' it agrees. It 

 also agrees with the sub-section immediately following, viz.: '• * Pis- 

 tih and akmes, several or mnny in a head, one-seeded." The sub- 

 division following: "4- Petalx none : sepals petal-like" \i\nix\^\)\\vi\h\i! ; 

 but its counterpart, '•-)--)- Pel (ds and sepals both conspicuous, jive or 

 more: akenes, naked, short-pointed" suits, and restricts our choice to 

 the three genera, Adonis, IMyosurus, and Ranunculu-. The deter- 

 mination is soon made, upon noting the naked sepals, /he petals with 

 the little scale on the upper face of the short claw, and the ukenes 

 in a head: so the genus is, 7. UANfNCULL'S. 

 16* 



