14- Ranunculace<z Erantkis. 



8. ERANTHIS. 



Dwarf herbs with creeping fleshy rootstocks and radical 

 palmate leaves appearing after the flowers. Scape about four 

 inches high, furnished with a single stem-clasping leaf, whose 

 verticillate segments have the form of an involucre. Flower 

 solitary, terminal, yellow. Sepals from 5 to 8, coloured, regular 

 and narrow. Petals small and inconspicuous. Carpels stalked. 

 Name from 77/0, Spring, and avOos, a flower. 



1 . E. hy emails (fig. 11). Winter Aconite. One of the earliest 



Fig. 11. Eranthis hyemalis. (J nat. size.) 



Spring flowers, possessing the valuable quality of flourishing in 

 almost any soil or situation. Native of Italy. 



9. HELL^BORUS. 



Perennial herbs with thick rhizomes and palmately, digitately 

 or pedately divided leaves on long petioles. Flowers solitary 

 or panicled, rather large, white, greenish, or dull purple. 

 Sepals 5, regular, petaloid, commonly persistent. Petals 

 small, tubular, and inconspicuous. Carpels numerous, sessile or 

 shortly stalked. There are about twelve species, all natives of 

 temperate Europe and Asia. The name is derived from skslv, 

 to injure, and /3opa, food, in allusion to the poisonous properties. 



1. H. nlger (fig. 12). The Christmas Rose. This is the 

 only species in general cultivation, and is too well known to 

 need description. The beautiful white or pinkish flowers are 

 produced about Christmastide. It is a native of Austria. 



2. H. Olympicus, syn. H. orientalis. A very handsome 

 species, with foliage resembling that of H. nlger, but appear- 

 ing with the flowers in early Spring. The latter are large and 

 numerous, and bright rose in the best variety. A native of 

 S. Europe and Asia Minor, and said to bear London smoke welL 



