126 FAMILIAR LESSORS IX BOTANY. 



Ours are alternate. Continuing down the page of orders 

 we find ^' Hei'bs ;" our plant is an herb. Then we find Ova- 

 ries : " Ovaries embedded in the top of the large recep- 

 tacle.'^ Our ovaries are not embedded, neither is our re- 

 ceptacle very large. The next : 



" Ovaries home on the recepftacle. Sepals and petals de- 

 ciduous.'^ 



That is it. The ovaries of our plant were found growing 

 on the receptacle, when we were studying the seed to learn 

 if they were covered or uncovered. But the second part ? 

 Sepals and petals deciduous? Yes, here are one or two 

 flowers whose petals have already fallen. We now have 

 the order, Eaxuxculace^. Turning to this order, we find 

 five tribes. 



In the first the sepals are valvate in the bud ; ours are 

 imbricate; so we will pass on. Tribe II., the sepals agi*ee 

 with ours, but there are no petals. Tribe III. contains 

 three genera, the very first of which answers to our flower 

 exactlv. So placing it with the Eanunculacese, we turn to 

 that, and proceed to find its specific name. 



The first paragraph marked § says, ^'Petals white, with a 

 yeUoiu pit at the lase^ Ours are yellow; so we go to the 

 next. 



" § Petals yeUojv, with a small scale at the haseP 



"* Achenia muricate:^ That is enough; ours is not 

 muricate, it has no wartlike excrescence. 



" ** Achenia smooth. \ Leaves iindivided.^' Ours are 

 divided. 



"tt Leaves divided, ff Petals small, not exceeding the 

 calyxP Ours are not very small, and are larger than the 

 calyx. To the next : 



"ft Petals much larger than the calyx. Achenia in glo- 

 bose heads.^' Under this description we find the Kanun- 

 culus repensy which agrees with our plant in every par- 

 ticular. And we feel as much delighted as if the flower 

 had just been created under our very eye. 



