36 CERCIDIPHYLLACEAE 



Family CERCIDIPHYLLACEAE. 



An Asiatic family including only the following genus with 

 a single species, forming an attractive small tree. Sometimes 

 merged in the Trochodendraceae. 



CERCIDIPHYLLUM. 



Deciduous trees with slender twigs widened at the nodes; 

 clos'e-grained wood with minute diffused ducts and fine medul- 

 lary rays; somewhat angular continuous small pith; opposite 

 or obliquely opposite raised half-elliptical or somewhat 3-lobed 

 leaf -scars with 3 bundle-traces; no stipule-scars; appressed 

 oblong sessile buds with 1 or 2 exposed scales; palmately 

 nerved petioled rather crenate round-cordate leaves; small 

 dioecious apetalous solitary flowers; and oblong many-seeded 

 capsules. 



Leaves glabrous. C. japonicum. 



Leaves somewhat pubescent beneath. C. japonicum sinense. 



Family RANUNCULACEAE. Buttercup Family. 

 A large family, chiefly herbaceous, of no great economic 

 use but often becoming troublesome weeds ; the paeonies, lark- 

 spurs, virgin's bowers and columbines largely planted. 



PAEONIA. Paeony. 



Usually herbs and not evergreen, with alternate pinnately 

 parted large leaves; large white or red polypetalous perfect 

 flowers; and fruit of several often large follicles each with 

 several large seeds. 



Not woody: ovaries not sheathed. Herbaceous paeonies. 



Soft-woody: ovaries sheathed at base. P. suffruticosa. 



CLEMATIS. Virgin's Bower. 



More or less woody plants mostly climbing by their per- 

 sistent leaf-stalks 1 , with 6-sided or ribbed slender stems; soft 

 wood with large crowded vernal ducts, few and minute sum- 

 mer ducts, and coarse wedge-shaped medullary rays; relatively 

 large roundish homogeneous pale pith; opposite mostly pin- 



