592 



PART III. THE CLASSIFICATION OF PLANTS. 



age-leaves in that they are palmatifid (Fig. 397 A h) ; in A. Hepatica, in which 

 the scapes spring from the axils of cataphyllary leaves, the three bracteoles are 

 simple and lie so closely under the petaloid calyx that at first they appear to 

 be the calyx of the flower. 



Myosurus minimus (Mouse- tail) has a very long cylindrical receptacle, bearing 

 the indefinite spirally arranged carpels : stamens 4-14 ; the 5 sepals are spurred. 

 Adonis, the Pheasant's Eye, has completely acyclic flowers ; eepals 5, petals 8 

 or more, not glandular at the base ; stamens and carpels indefinite, arranged in 

 & order : A. autumnalis is the species which occurs in England. 



In Eanunculus, the calyx, which is not petaloid, consists of 5 (f) sepals, and 

 the corolla of 5 imbricate petals which alternate with the sepals and have a 



FIG. 397. Flowers of Rnmmcnlaccse: s peduncle; fe sepals; c petals; a stamens; 

 / ovary; n stigma (all of natural size or slightly magnified). A Flower of Anemone 

 PaUatilla in longitudinal section ; h epicalyx ; t receptacle. B Gyiiseceum of Ranunculus : 

 * receptacle with the points of insertion of the stamens which have been removed : C flower 

 seen from below. D Flower of Helleborus viridis. E Flower of Aconitum Napellus : 7i 

 bracteoles ; k' hooded posterior sepal the lateral sepal on this side is removed. 



nectary at their base : the stamens and carpels are arranged spirally ; anthers 

 extrorse ; the ovule is ascending, whereas it is suspended in all the preceding 

 genera. The genus includes water-plants with finely-divided leaves and white 

 flowers, as R. aqiiatilis, Water Crowfoot, fluitans, etc. ; and land- or bog-plants, 

 usually with a yellow corolla, as JR. acris, the Buttercup, repem, bulbosus, and 

 sceleratus (all known as Crowfoot), and Lingua and Flammula (the Greater and 



