34 RANTJNCULACE.E. (CROWFOOT FAMILY.) 



Division I. POLYPETALOUS 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. RANUNCinLACE^E. (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. CLEMATIDE^S. Sepals vallate 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. 



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



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

 and stamrn-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. Thalictrum. Achenia 4-10, ribbed, grooved, or inflated. Involucre none, or leaf- 



like, and remote from the flowers. 



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



5. Trautvet.teria. Achenia inflated and 4-angled. Involucre none. 



Tribe III. RANUNCULiEjE. 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. HELLEBORINEjE. 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. Caltlia. Petals none. Pods several. Leaves kidney-shaped, undivided. 



