RANUNCULACE.E 79 



In Clematis fcetida the hairs are very long, but are confined 

 to the lower part of the style ; while in others, as for instance 

 in C. Viticella, the style is quite short. 



So also in Anemone, some species, as for instance A. vir- 

 giniana, have the achenes hairy, terminating in a short, more 

 or less curved, horn ; while in others the achene bears a long 

 feathery tail. 



In the Helleboreae the fruit is follicular, with numerous 

 horizontal ovules ; and the seeds are winged (Nigella orien- 

 talis), rounded (some species of Nigella), smooth (Aquilegia), 

 or angular (some Delphiniums). This latter difference is 

 perhaps due to the fact that in Aquilegia many of the ovules 

 become aborted, so that the seeds have plenty of room 

 to expand, while in Delphinium they are generally crowded 

 together. 



In Aquilegia the plants, when agitated by the wind, scatter 

 the seeds in all directions, and their smoothness under these 

 circumstances perhaps facilitates their dispersal. 



Nigella orientalis differs from most of its congeners in the 

 possession of winged seeds. The testa is loose and reticu- 

 lated. 



Actaea has baccate fruits, with numerous angled seeds. 

 The testa is very thick. 



Cotyledons. The prevalent type of the cotyledons is broad, 

 and bluntly ovate. They are typically three- to five-veined, 

 though the variation is not easily seen in fresh specimens. 

 They are larger, as a general rule, in the annual than in the 

 perennial species. In some of the marsh species they are 

 narrow and somewhat elongated, as is also the case with the 

 leaves. 



The cotyledons generally have a petiole, but sometimes 

 they are sessile, as for instance in Delphinium Staphysagria 

 (fig. 135). This, as I have suggested in my introductory 

 chapter, is perhaps because, while those of Delphinium elatum> 

 for instance (fig. 136), are attached close to the ground, those 

 of D. Staphysagria are carried up by the hypocotyl, and do 

 not therefore require stalks of their own. 



The greatest amount of modification occurring in any one 

 genus is perhaps found in Anemone. In A. nemorosa the 



