20 NATURAL HISTORY OF PLANTS. 



Trollius,^ again, is a genus admitted by all, but very little marked, 

 and without any good distinction from the Hellebores. If, in fact, 

 we examine the flower of 7\ asiaficun L., often cultivated in our 

 gardens, we shall see that it has often a petaloid calyx of five imbri- 

 cated sepals," and five short thickened petals' or nectaries, grooved 

 on the inner face, at the base of which is a glandular projection 

 which secretes nectar. The stamens, very numerous and spirally 

 arranged, have a free filament and a basifixed anther, rather extrorse 

 than introrse/ The indefinite carpels are multiovulate, and the 

 anatropous ovules' are in two vertical rows, and touch by their 

 raphes. 



Therefore, the only difference between these flowers and the 

 Hellebores is that the nectaries are not tubular or cup-shaped. 

 We find specimens of Trollius, in which the sepals become very 

 numerous, and others in which the nectaries, are also indefinite 

 in number (fig. 37). The sepals are more or less caducous, but 

 persist longer in Hegemone^ which cannot on that account be generi- 

 cally separated from Trollius. In all of them the fruits are follicles.^ 

 They are perennial herbs with subterranean rhizomes, and palmi- 

 veined, lobed, or dissected alternate leaves ; flowers solitary terminal, 

 or few in number and arranged like those of Aquilcgia or Nigella. 

 They inhabit the northern hemisphere in both Worlds, and are espe- 

 cially common in northern Asia.** 



Like nearly all the preceding genera, this may present flowers 



* TroUim L., Qen., n. 700. — Juss. Oen., 233. cnnus becomes nflerwards concnve externally, 

 Lamk., ///., t. WJ. — DC, Prodr., i. 15. — h^iwcn, niul in tlie same way tl"? two cells of T.evropau*, 

 Suit, a Buff", vii. 29G. — Endl., Gen., n. 4787. in the end project towarda the ju'rianth. 



— B. H., Gen., 7, n. 17. — H. IJn. Adansonin, * Tliey have two coats. 



iv. 48. — Hellebori spec, T., /. cit. — Geisenia •> Jleyemune lilacina HuNGE, LCDEB., Fl. 



Ra¥., New York Med. Hep. (v.), \\.i50. Ross., i. 51.— T. Hlacinus Bu.noe, Fl. Alt.- 



^ More usually there is a larger number of siippl., 44. 

 these organs, especially in cultivated plants. 7 'ii,e follicles, united into a more or less coui- 



' This number is relatively rare. iMoro often pressed head, aro cither smooth or wrinkled 



we find five gronpsoftwo, three, or more of these transversely, and surmounted by the remains of 



8(Milcs. In T. nmericanus, europreits, asi/iliru-ii, the style, which is placed on the side opposite 



they have the shajje of a racket, but with the tlie line of deliiscence. The seeds are smooth, 



handle narrower and tlie body longer in proportion, shining, and dark in colour. The outer envelope 



grooved hy a canal above. The top is trunc:ited is reticulate and minutely jiunctate ; the inner, 



horizontally or ol)li(piely, rounded or emarginate. white and cellular. The rapiie project* but 



In Jlei/emone they arc nearly fiat, spathulate little. Tho albmnen is llcshy and copious, with a 



blades, very small embryo near tlio npox. 



* In T. americanuji and many others tho inner * (Jken. & (ionu., Fl. Fr., i. 40. — Rkichb., 

 stamens are the shorter; tho line of dehiscence Icon., iv. t. 102. — A. Uuay, ///., 11.— Hook. 

 is a little turneil outwards. In T. aniaticus i\\\» &, Tn., Fl. hut., i. 41. — WalI'., Krp., \. 47, 

 line is (pnto on the margin. 'I'iio connective is ii, 740, Ann,, iv. 21). 



at first broad and llatteiu'd. 'I'lmt of T. amrri- 



