514 BOTANY 



and, like the whole plant, they are entirely devoid of hairs. The flowers are clustered 

 in simple or sparingly branched, terminal racemes, and are distinctly zygomorphic 

 (Fig. 462). One of the five dark violet sepals is helmet-shaped ; two of the petals 

 are transformed into hood-shaped nectaries raised on long claws, while the others 

 are reduced to filamentous rudiments ; the numerous stamens surround three 

 apocarpous carpels, each of which produces a, follicle at maturity. Aconitum 

 Lycoctonum (Fig. 467) has smaller yellow flowers, and, instead of tubers, a slender 

 rhizome. A. variegatum and A. Stoerckeanum, allied to A. Napellus, are also 

 extremely poisonous. 



All the species of Ranunculus are also more or less poisonous. R. sceleratus, 

 Celery-leaved Crowfoot, -probably one of the most noxious species, is a glabrous herb 

 with three-lobed, somewhat fleshy leaves and small light yellow flowers (Fig. 469). 

 The Tall Crowfoot or Buttercup, R. acris, is the frequent cause of poisoning in cattle. 

 It has a hairy stem, palmately divided leaves and bright yellow flowers. The Marsh 

 Marigold, O'altha palustris (Fig. 466), though less poisonous, is a source of danger 

 to children on account of its frequency and attractive flowers. Helleborus foetidus, 

 Bear's Foot (Fig. 465), a large glabrous perennial, has palmately divided leaves and 

 yellowish green, somewhat bell-shaped, flowers with numerous stamens and few 

 carpels. The perianth consists of a large-leaved calyx and conical honey-leaves ; 

 the carpels when ripe become follicles. Both the Green Hellebore, H. viridis, and 

 the Christmas-Rose or Black Hellebore, S. niger (with reddish white flowers), are 

 also poisonous. Species of Adonis {e.g. A. vernalis), Anemone (in particular A. 

 nemorosa, and even more so A. Pulsatilla, Fig. 470), Clematis and Delphinium 

 (especially D. Staphysagria) are also poisonous, but in a less degree. 



Officinal. — The tubers of Aconitum Napellus, also the root and rhizome of the 

 Orange Root, Hydrastis canadensis (North America), are officinal. 



Family Nymphaeaeeae. — Flowers hermaphrodite, hypogynous or 

 epigynous, actinomorphic, with calyx and corolla, cyclic, or exclusive 

 of the perianth, ACYCLIC ; androscium and gyn- 

 oeciiim usually polymerous ; carpels apocarpous 

 or syncarpous. Water-plants, usually with 



LARGE FLOATING LEAVES (FigS. 471, 472). 



FlG. 471. —Nyni2>]wm. 



In the fruits and flowers of this family but little uni- 

 formity is exhibited. Some forms closely resemble the 

 Itanunculaccae, while others (Nymphaea, Victoria ) differ 

 essentially from them and represent a much higher stage 

 of development. Some species are very similar to the 

 ^Floral diagram""' Papaveraccae in the structure of their fruit, and some, 

 again, show a great similarity to other families, so that the 

 Nymphaeaeeae must be regarded as forming a transitional group connected in many 

 respects with other orders. 



Familiar examples of this family are afforded by the Yellow Pond-Lily, Nuphar 

 (hypogynous, with five sepals), and the Water-Lily, Nymphaea (epigynous, with four 

 sepals, Fig. 472) ; both have multilocular ovaries and spongy berry-like fruits 

 (Fig. 472, 4). No definite line of demarcation can be drawn between petals and 

 stamens, as the petals pass into the stamens by a gradual transition (Fig. 472, 3). 



Geographical Distribution. — The Nymphaeaeeae inhabit chiefly the Tropics. 

 To this family belong the Sacred Lotus, Nelumoium speciosum, and Victoria regia 

 from the Amazon, noted on account of the enormous size of its leaves and the 

 beauty of its flowers. 



