CKOWFOOT FAMILY. 39 



10. ACT^A, BANEBERRY. (The old Greek name of the Elder, from 

 some likeness in the leaves.) 'J. Fl. in spring;, ripening- the berries late-in 

 summer : growing in rich Avoofls. Leailcts of the thrice-ternate leaves ovate, 

 sharply cleft, unci cut-toothed. 



A. spie^ta, vai^ rtlbra, Red Banebekry. Flowers in a very short 

 ovate raceme or cluster, on slender pedicels ; berries red. 



A. &lba, White Baneberry. Taller than the other, smoother, and 

 flowering a. week .or two later, with an oblong raceme ; ,pedioels in fruit very 

 thick, turning red, the berries white. 



11. CIMICIFITGA, BTIGBAKE. (Latin name, moaning to drive away 

 bugs.) 1|. Like Baneberry, but tall, with very long racemes (l°-3°), and 

 dry pods instead of berries ; fl. in summer. 



C. raeemosa. Tall B. or Black Snakeroot. Stem with the long 

 raceme 4° - 8° high ; pistil mostly single, with a flat-topped stigma; short pod 

 holding 2 rows of horizontally flattened seeds. Rich woods. 



C. Amerieina,' American B. More slender, only 2° - 4° high ; pis- 

 tils 5, with slender style and minute -stigma ; pods raised from the receptacle 

 on slender stalks, flattish, containing few scaly-ooatod seeds. AUegbanios from 

 Penn. S. ; fl. late summer. 



12. CALTHA, MARSH-iVEARlGOLD. (Old name, from a word mean-\ 

 ingjoWef, of no obvious applicatioo.) y. One common speciaa, — 



C. pallis,tris, Marsh-Makigmsii), wrongly called 'Cowslips in the 

 counfry. Stem l°-2° high, bearing one or more rounded or segiiewhat kid- 

 ney-shaped entire or crenate leaves, and a few flowers with showy yellow calyx, 

 about 1^' across ; followed by a cluster of many-seeded pods. Marshes, in 

 spring ; young plant boiled for " greens." 



13. TEOLLIUS, GLOBE-FLOWER. (Name of obscure meaning.) 

 FloWer large, like that of Caltha, but sepals not spreading except in om' 

 wild species; a row of small nectary-like petals around the stamens, and tha 

 leaves deeply palmately cleft or parted. IJ. Fl. spring. 



T. laxus, Wild G. Sepals only .5 or 6, spreading wide open, yellowish 

 or dull greenish-white ; petals very small, seeming like abortive stamens. 

 Swamps, N. &_ W. 



T. EurOpffius, True or European G. Sepals bright yellow (10-20) 

 broad and converging into a^ kind of globe, the flower appearing as if semi- 

 double. Gult. from Eu.. 



T. Asi&ticus, Asiatic G. Like the last, but flower rather more open 

 and deep orange yellow. Cult, from Siberia. 



14. COPTIS, GOLDTHREAD. (From Greek wdi-d to cut, from the 

 divided leaves.) 1(. The only common species is, — 



C. trifblia, Three-leaved G. A delicate little plant, in bogs and damp 

 cold woods N., sending up early in spring single white flowers (smaller than 

 tlioso of Wood Ancmony) on slender scapes, followed by slender-stalked leaves 

 of three wedge-shaped leaflets ; these become bright-Shining in summer, and last 

 over winter. The roots or underground .shoots are of long and slender yellow 

 fibres, used as a popular medicine, ~ ... 



15. HELLEBOEUS, HELLEBORE. (Old Greek name, alludes to the 

 ipoisonous properties,) U European plants; with pedate leaves and pretty 

 large flowers, in early spring. 



H. vlridis, Green H., has stoms near 1° high, bearing 1 or 2 loaves and 

 2 or 3 pale yellowish-green flowers : run wild in a i'ew places E. 



H. niger, Black H., the flower called Christmas Rose (because flow- 

 ering in warmer parts of England in winter), has single large flowers (2' - 3' 

 across, white, tuming.pinkish, then green), on scapes shorter than the shining 

 evergreen leaves, in earliest spring. Eare in gardens. 



