34 RANUNCULACE2E. (CROWFOOT FAMILY.) 



DIVISION I. POLYP^TALOUS EX6GENOUS PLANTS. 



Floral envelopes consisting of both calyx and corolla ; the petals 

 not united with each other. (Several genera or species belonging to 

 Polypetalous Orders are destitute of petals.) 



' ;- .. , . -.-" 



ORDER 1. RANUNCUL.ACEJE. (CROWFOOT FAMILY.) 



Herbs or woody climbers, rarely undershrubs, with a colorless acrid juice, 

 polypetalous, or apetalous with the calyx often colored like a corolla, hypogy- 

 nous ; the sepals, petals, numerous stamens, and many or few (rarely sin- 

 gle) pistils all distinct and unconnected. Flowers regular or irregular. 

 Sepals 3-15. Petals 3-15, or wanting. Stamens indefinite, rarely few : 

 anthers short. Fruits either dry pods, or seed-like (achenia), or berries. 

 Seeds anatropous (when solitary and suspended the rhaphe dorsal), with 

 fleshy albumen and a minute embryo. Stipules none. Leaves often 

 dissected, their stalks dilated at the base. (A large family, mostly of 

 acrid plants, some of them acrid-narcotic poisons.) 



Synopsis of the Genera. 



Tribe I. CIjEMATIDEJE. Sepals valvate in the bud, or with the edges bent inwards. 



Petals none, or small. Achenia numerous, tailed with the feathery or hairy styles. Seeds 



solitary, suspended. Leaves all opposite. 

 L Clematis. Climbing by the leafstalks, or erect herbs. 



Tribe II. ANEMONE JE. Sepals imbricated in the bud. Petals none or very small 

 and stamen-like. Achenia numerous or several. Seed solitary. Stem-leaves often op- 

 posite or whorled, forming an involucre. 



* Seed suspended. Sepals 4 - 20. 



2. Anemone. Achenia numerous, in a head, pointed or tailed, not ribbed nor inflated. 



Involucre leaf-like and remote from the flower. 



3. Hepatica. Achenia several, not ribbed. Involucre close to the flower, of 3 simple 



leaves, and resembling a calyx. 



4. Tnalictrum. Achenia 4-10, ribbed, grooved, or inflated. Involucre none, or leaf- 



like, and remote from the flowers. 



* * Seed erect. Sepals 3-5, caducous. 



6. Traut vetteria. Achenia inflated and 4-angled. Involucre none. 

 Tribe III. RANUNCULEJE. Sepals imbricated in the bud. Petals evident, often 

 with a scale or pore inside. Achenia numerous. Seed solitary. 



6. Ranunculus. Sepals not appendaged. Achenia in a head. Seed erect. 



7. Myosurus. Sepals spurred at the base. Achenia in a long spike. Seed suspended. 

 Tribe IV. HEL.LEBORINEJE. Sepals imbricated in the bud, deciduous, rarely 



persistent, petal-like. Petals (nectaries of the early botanists) tubular, irregular, or 2- 

 lipped, often none. Pods (follicles) few, rarely single, few - several-seeded. Leaves all 

 alternate. 



* Flower regular. Pods several-seeded. Herbs. 



8. Isopyrum. Petals none (in our species). Pods few. Leaves compound. 



9. Caltha. Petals none. Pods several. Leaves kidney-shaped, undivided. 



