THE CROWFOOT FAMILY. 189 



III. If practicable, the comparison should be extended 

 to a number of other species belonging to different genera, 

 as, for example, Hepatica triloba, Ghaix, Anemonella thalic- 

 troides, Spach, Olernatis Virginiana, L., Aquilegia Cana- 

 densis, L., Actma alha, Bigel, Hydrastis Canadensis, L., 

 and any other plants of this family, wild or cultivated, 

 that may be available. 



CHARACTERS OF THE RANUNCULACEiE. 



After such a comparative study, embracing as many 

 species as possible, we may sum up the characters that 

 distinguish members of this family as follows : 



1. Chiefly herbaceous plants. 



2. Juice watery, in many species acrid and poisonous. 



3. Leaves generally compound or variously cut and 



divided, without true stipules, but frequently 

 dilated at the base. 



4. All parts of the flower free and distinct. Corolla 



often wanting. Floral envelopes and numerous 

 stamens hypogynous. 



5. Carpels numerous or few, forming achenia, berries, 



or follicles in fruit.^ 



This family of plants is of interest in many ways. 

 Owing to their active properties many of the species 

 such as gold-thread, black hellebore, aconite, lai-kspur, and 

 Hydrastis are employed medicinally. In fact these active 

 properties constitute an important feature of their relation- 

 ship. The order furnishes a number of ornamental plants 

 common in cultivation, such as Clematis, columbine, monks- 

 hood, and others. The color of the flowers, yellow and 

 white in many of the simpler species, passing into red and 

 1 Cf. Gray, Manual, p. 34. 



