CLASS Xni. ORDER III.J ANEMONE. 783 



* Involucre of three much divided leaves, sessile, and united at the 

 base into a short tube. Fruit with feathery tails, (Pulsatilla). 



1. A. Pulsatilla, Linn. (Fig. 888.) Pasque-flouer Anemone. 

 Leaves as well as the involucre doubly pinnated with numerous linear 

 segments; flower erect; sepals six, campanulate at the base, downy; 

 carpels with long feathery tails. 



English Botany, t. 61. — English Flora, vol. iii. p. 36. — Hooker, 

 British Flora, ed. 4. vol. i. p. 217. — Lindley, Synopsis, p. 9. 



Root dark brown, somewhat woody. Leaves all radical, doubly 

 pinnated, with numerous narrow linear acute spreading segments, on 

 long spreading furrowed footstalks, dilated and sheathing at the base, 

 and enveloped in the withered remains of last year, more or less thickly 

 clothed with long spreading hairs. Flower solitary, terminating in a 

 simple stem, from three to six inches high. Involucre from half to an 

 inch below the flower, of three pieces, united at the base into a short 

 tube, and much divided into narrow linear segments, about an inch 

 long, clothed with spreading hairs. Sepals of the flower six, from one 

 to two inches long, of a dull violet blue, clothed externally with silky 

 hairs, linear oblong, or linear ovate, united into a bell-shaped form, at 

 the base spreading, or at length recurved towards the point. Stamens 

 numerous, shorter than the perianth. Filaments thread-shaped. 

 Anthers oblong, yellow, of two cells. Sti/les slender, tapering, downy. 

 Stigma small, simple, blunt. Fruit numerous, crowded, carpels 

 tapering into a long feathery aivn, the elongated style. 



Habitat. — Dry chalky and loamy pastures, not common, but found 

 in various parts of England. 



Perennial ; flowering in April and May. 



The flowers of this species are extremely beautiful, and form a pretty 

 early border flower. It was called Pasqueflower by old Gerarde, on 

 account of its flowering about Easter. Like most other species of the 

 genus, it is poisonous to cattle, if taken in any quantity. This 

 poisonous quality seems to reside in a crystallizable salt, obtained by 

 distillation from the fresh leaves, and named anemonine, an acrid 

 poison, which irritates and inflames the skin. 



* Involucre of three ternate petiolated leaves. Fruit without tails. 

 (Anemone.) 



2. A. nemero'sa, Linn. (Fig. 889 ) Wood Anemone. Involucre of 

 three petiolated ternate leaves, the leaflets lanceolate, lobed and cut 

 similar to the radical leaves ; flower erect, solitary, of six smooth oblong 

 sepals ; carpels awnless. 



English Botany, t. 355. — English Flora, vol. iii. p. 37. — Hooker, 

 British Flora, ed. 4. vol. i. p. 37. — Lindley, Synopsis, p. 9. 



Root somewhat woody, cylindrical, long, with fibrous radicals. 

 Leaves radical, very few, mostly wanting, ternate, on long slender foot- 

 stalks, leaflets oblong, lanceolate, two or three cleft, and crenaled, a 



