

RANUNCULACE^E 275 



it belongs chiefly to the cooler parts of the world. 

 But it is in many ways important, and many of the 

 genera are very well known as garden plants. 

 Other genera. 



* CLEMATIS WIGHTIANA, Wall., is found wild on the 

 higher hills and C. GOURIANA, Roxb., lower down. 

 They are climbers with opposite pinnate leaves, and 

 support themselves by their petioles. The flowers 

 have no petals, but the sepals are white and showy. 

 The fruit is commonly known as ' Old man's beard ' 

 because of the long feathery tails, formed by the 

 elongation of the styles of the carpels (fig. 61). By 

 these the achenes are easily carried by the wind. 



* AQUILEGTA (Columbine) * DELPHINIUM (Larkspur) 

 and ACONITUM (Monk's Hood) are often grown in 

 gardens. Their flowers look very unlike those of the 

 Buttercup, especially the latter two which are irregular 

 in shape, but the petals are separate, the stamens 

 numerous, and the carpels of the ovary are free. They 

 differ from RANUNCULUS and CLEMATIS in that the 

 carpels have several seeds when ripe, and in other 

 minor points. 



We have here a good instance of the degree of 

 importance, with respect to the classification of plants, 

 which is attached to different characteristics. Mere 

 shape whether of leaves or flowers counts for very 

 little because, as stated on p. 235, it may be modified 

 for some special class of insect, as it certainly is in 

 the case of these genera, for bees. Of much greater 

 importance are the numbers of each kind of organ, 

 especially of the stamens and carpels, and whether 

 they are united or not. 



