26 



WEEDS AND USEFUL PLANTS. 



ORDER I. KANUNCULA'CE^E. (CROWFOOT FAMILY.) 



Herbs, or woody vines, with a colorless and often acrid juice, and usually dissected leaves^ 

 without stipules; petals sometimes wanting, and the calyx, which is often colored like a 

 corolla, hypogynous ; the sepals, petals, numerous stamens, and many or few (rarely 

 single) pistils, all distinct and unconnected. Fruit either dry pods, akenes or berries I - 

 several-seeded ; seeds with a firm, fleshy albumen, and a minute embryo. 



In many plants of this family, the juice is so powerfully acrid as to produce blistering ; 

 the acridity in most is, however, destroyed by heat, and in many it is lost in drying. 

 Many of the plants belonging to the order are cultivated for ornament, as the Colum- 

 bine, Clematis, Anemone, Larkspur, Peony, &c. Some, as the Aconite, are eminently 

 poisonous, while others, like Coptis, are simple bitter tonics. 



1. Petals none. Sepals colored and petal-like. Pistils several, becoming akenes in fruit. 

 Upper leaves sometimes forming an involucre near the flower. 



Akenes several, not ribbed ; three upper simple leaves forming a 



calyx-like involucre near the flower. Radical leaves 3-lobed. 1. HEPATICA. 



Akenes several, ribbed. Involucre none. Leaves 3-4 times com- 



pound. 2. THAIJCTRUM. 



{5 2. Sepals and petals present, the latter with a small scale at the base 

 inside. 



Akenes in a head. 3. RANUNCULUS. 



($ 3. Sepals petal-like. Petals, when present, small and irregular. Pis- 

 tils forming several seeded pods, or follicles. 



Flower regular. 



Petals none. Sepals yellow. Leaves kidney-shaped. 4. CALTHA. 



Petals small, hollowed at the apex. Sepals whitish. 



Pistils stalked. 5. Coras. 



Flower irregular. 



Upper sepal spurred. Petals 4, of two forms. 6. DELPHINIUM. 



Upper sepal hooded. Petals 2, long-clawed. 7. AOONITUM. 



4. Sepals petal-like, falling off as the flower opens. Petals small, 2- 

 horned at the apex. 



Flowers in a long raceme. 8. CIMICTFUGA. 



1. HEP AT '10 A. Ditten. LIVERLEAF. 



[Greek, Hepar, the liver, from a fancied resemblance in tho leaves.] 



Involucre of 3 simple leaflets, close to the flowers, resembling a 

 calyx. Sepals 6- 9 in 2 - 3 rows, colored and petal-like. Petals none. 

 Akenes in a loose head, compressed, hairy. Leaves all radical. Flowers 

 single, on hairy scapes. 



