DICOTYLEDONES 



425 



A, B, Celosia cristata (x 3) ; b, bracts. 

 C, D, Chenopodium album (X 8). 



Order II. Ranales 



The Ranales comprise a large number of Dicotyledons, some of which, like 

 the Nymphaeaceae and certain Ranunculaceae, suggest affinities with the Mono- 

 cotyledons. Some of them, 

 like the Nymphaeaceae, Cera- 

 tophyllaceae, and a few 

 Ranunculaceae, are aquatics, 

 which recall in habit the 

 Helobiese among the Mono- 

 cotyledons. Others e.g. 

 Magnoliaceae, Lauraceae 

 are trees or shrubs, and a 

 few genera e.g. Akebia, 

 Menisperinum (Fig. 413, F) 

 are woody climbers. 



The flowers of the Ra- 

 nales almost always have FIQ. 408. 

 the parts entirely separate, 

 although exceptionally the 

 carpels may be united. The number of petals and sepals may be definite 

 (species of Ranunculus, Berberis), or there may be great variation in this 



respect (Magnolia, Nymphaea), and in 



A such cases there is often no marked differ- 



ence between sepals and petals. Not infre- 

 quently e.g. Anemone, Delphinium, 

 Cal'ha the sepals are petaloid, and the 

 petals may be quite absent. The stamens 

 are numerous, and this is true in most 

 cases of the carpels, which may, however 

 (Berberidaceae), be reduced to a single 

 one. 



In most cases the flowers are radially 

 symmetrical, but strongly zygomorphic 

 flowers are occasionally met with e.g. 

 Delphinium . (Fig. 412, F), Aconitum. 

 While hermaphrodite flowers are the 

 rule, they may be diclinous (Thalictrum, 

 Akebia). 



Some of the Ranales show anomalies 

 in the structure of the tissues, which also 

 suggest a relationship with the Monocoty- 

 ledons. Thus Podophyllum, Leontice, 

 Thalictrum, the Nymphaeaceae, and several 

 others have the vascular bundles scat- 

 tered irregularly in the stem, instead of 

 Mesembryanthemum arran g e d in a single circle, as in the typi- 

 cal Dicotyledons. 



The Ranales comprise many familiar 

 and beautiful flowers as well as some 

 characteristic trees, especially in the East- 

 ern states, where the Magnolias and Tulip-tree (Liriodendron) are among the 

 most striking forest trees On the Pacific coast, the only tree of the order is 

 the beautiful Bay-tree (Umbellularia California), (Fig. 415). 



FIG. 409. A, 



sp., the showy part of the flower 

 consists of the narrow petaloid 

 staminodia, st. B, Phytolacca de- 

 candra, single flower, enlarged. 



