212 Obdbe 1.— EANUNCULACB^. 



20. ACT^A, L. Baneberrt. (Gr. oktjj, the Elder ; which plant 

 these herbs resemble in foliage.) Sepals 4—5, caducous ; petals 4—8, 

 spatulate, long-clawed; filaments about 30, slender, white ; pistil 1, 

 with a sessile 2-lobed stigma ; berry globous, with a lateral furrow, 1- 

 celled ; seeds many, smooth, compressed. — V with ternately divided 

 leaves. Fls. white, in a short, oblong raceme. 



A. spiodtaL. /3 ritbra. Red Baneberrt. Rac. hemispherical ; petals acute; 

 pedicels slender; berries red, ovoid-oblong.— Not uncommon in rocky woods, 

 Can. to Penn. "W. to the R. Mts. Plant glabrous, 1^— 2f high, bearing .2 or 3 

 ample bi or triternate Ivs. and a terminal short raceme of white fls. ^ Lfts. ovate, 

 1—3' long, half as wide, inoisely lobed and toothed. Petioles i—T long, some- 

 what glaucous. Rao. as broad as long. May. (A. rubra. Bw.) 

 /J. ALBA. Mx. Rac. oblong ; petals truncate ; pedicels of the fruit thicker than the 

 peduncle ; berries white. — Common in rocky woods, Can. to Ga. The ample 

 leaves are precisely similar to those of a. and the distinctive characters given 

 above are not quite constant. Specimens from Castleton, Tt., have bright 

 red berries on thickened pedicles; from N. T. (Torr.) have white berries 

 on slender pedicles. The European variety has purphsh black berries. May. 



21. HYDRASTIS, L. Turmeric Eoot. Fig. 359. (Gr. v6(op, 

 water ; the plant grows in watery places.) Sepals 3, petaloid, cadu- 

 cous ; petals ; stamens oo, a little shorter than the sepals; ovaries 12 

 or more, becoming a baccate fruit composed of 1 -seeded acines aggre- 

 gated, into a head. — if Rhizome thick, knotty, yellow, with long 

 fibrous roots, sending up a single radical leaf and a stem which is 2- 

 leaved and 1-flowered. 



H. Canadensis L., The only species. It grows in bog meadows. Can. to Car. 

 and Ky. Stem 6-^12' high, becoming purplish, hairy above. St. leaves 2 only, 

 alternate on the upper part of the stem, petiolate, palmate, with 3—5 lobes. 

 Ped. terminal, solitary, 1-flowered. Sep. reddish white, of short duratioa Pr. 

 red, juicy, resembling the raspberry. Sds. nearly black. May, Jn. 



22. PiCONIA, L. P^ONY. Fig. 10—23, 30, 291. (The physi- 

 cian Pceon, according to mythology, first used this plant in medicine, 

 and cured Pluto with it.) Sepals 5, unequal, leafy, persistent ; petals 

 5 ; stamens oo (mostly changed to petals by cultivation) ; ovaries 2 — 5, 

 surrounded by an annular disk; stigmas sessile, double, persistent; fol- 

 licles many seeded. — V- Et. fasciculate. Lvs. biternate. Ffe. large, 

 terminal, solitary. 



* stems annual, herbaceous. Carpels 2 — 5 Nos. 1—3 



♦ Stems perennial, shrubby. Carpels 5 Nos. 4, 5 



1 P. officinalis L. Common P.ffi0NT. Lower lvs. bipinnately divided; 

 lfts. ovate-lanceolate, variously incised; carp. 2, downy, nearly straight. — The 

 splendid Peeony has long been cultivated throughout the civilized world. This 

 species is said to be a native of Switzerland. It is a hardy perennial, requiring 

 very little pains for its cultivation. Among its varieties the double red is most 

 common. The white Is truly beautiful. The flesh-colored and the pink are also 

 favorites. May, Jn.| 



2 P. albifldra Ji. Lfts. elliptic-lanceolate, acute, entire, smooth; foUicles 2 or 

 3, recurved, smooth. — ^Native of Tartary. Whole plant dark, shining green and 

 smooth. Pis. smaller than the last, but truly elegant and fragrant. Petals white. 

 Cal. brown, with 3 green, sessile bracts at base. Nine or ten varieties, with 

 flowers single or double, white, rose-colored, &c., are now mentioned in the cata- 

 logues of American gardeners.f 



3 P. anomala L. Lfts. with many lanceolate segments, smooth ; foUicles 5, 

 depressed, smooth; cal. bracteolate. Prom Siberia. Distinguished by the long 

 narrow segments of the leaflets. Fls. concave, rose colored. Many varieiies.f ■ 



