38 CROWFOOT FAMILY. 



5. THALICTRUM, MEADOW RUE. (Old name of obscure deriva- 

 tion.) (Lessons, Fig. 161.) ^[ 



* Floicers mostly dioecious, small, in loose compound panicles ; the 4 or 6 

 sepals falling early ; filaments slender ; stigmas slender ; akenes sev- 

 eral-grooved and angled. 



T. di6icum, Linn. EARLY MEADOW RUE. Herb glaucous, l-2 

 high ; flowers greenish in early spring ; the yellowish linear anthers of 

 the sterile plant hanging on long capillary filaments ; leaves all on gen- 

 eral petioles. Rocky woods. 



T. polygamum, Muhl. TALL M. Herb 4-8 high ; stem-leaves not 

 raised on a general petiole ; flowers white in summer ; anthers oblong, 

 blunt, not drooping ; the white filaments thickened upwards. Low or 

 wet ground. 



T. purpurscens, Linn. PURPLISH M. Later, often a little downy, 

 2-4 high ; stem-leaves not raised on a general petiole ; flowers greenish 

 and purplish ; anthers short-linear, drooping on capillary and upwardly 

 rather thickened filaments. Dry uplands and rocky hills. 



* * Flowers all perfect, corymbed ; filaments strongly club-shaped or in- 



flated under the short anther ; stigmas short ; akenes long-stalked. 



T. clav^tum, DC., has the size and appearance of T. dioicum ; 

 flowers white, fewer, appearing in June or July ; mountains southward. 



6. TRAUTVETTERIA, FALSE BUGBANE. (For Trautvetter, a 

 Russian botanist.) One species, with numerous 4-angled, capitate, in- 

 flated akenes. ]/ 



T. palmita, Fisch. & Meyer, along streams of S. Central States. Stems 

 2-3 high ; root-leaves large, palmately 5-11-lobed, the lobes toothed and' 

 cut. 



7. ADONIS. (Adonis, killed by a wild boar, was fabled to have been 

 changed at death into a flower.) Stems leafy ; leaves finely much cut 

 into very narrow divisions. Cult, from Europe for ornament. 



A. cestivalis, Linn. Stems about 1 high ; flower deep crimson ; 

 petals flat, half longer than calyx. 



A. autumnalis, Linn. PHEASANT'S EYE A. Near 1 high, stem or 

 its branches terminated by a small globose flower of 6-8 scarlet or crim- 

 son petals, concave, commonly dark at base, scarcely larger than sepals. 

 Sparingly naturalized. 



A. vernalis, Linn. SPRING A. % Stems about 6' high, bearing a 

 large, showy flower of 10-20 lanceolate, light-yellow petals in early spring. 



8. MYOSURUS, MOUSETAIL (which the name means in Greek). 



M. minimus, Linn. An insignificant little plant, wild or run wild 

 along streams from Illinois S., with a tuft of narrow entire root-leaves, 

 and scapes l'-3' high, bearing an obscure yellow flower, followed by tail- 

 like spike of fruit, l'-2' long in spring and summer. 



9. RANUNCULUS, CROWFOOT, BUTTERCUP. (Latin name for 

 a little frog, and for the Water Crowfoots, living with the frogs.) A 

 large genus of plants, wild with the exception of the double -flowered 

 varieties of three species cult, in gardens for ornament. (Lessons, 

 Figs. 245, 341, 376, 377.) 



