2 | THE RANUNCULUS FAMILY, — —_— [ Clematis, 
embryo, there are but three petals and sepals, as in most other Monocoty- 
ledons, a rare circumstance in Ranunculaceae. 
Ranunculacee are widely diffused over the globe, but more especially in 
temperate or cool climates. Within the tropics they are, with the exception 
of Clematis, almost confined to high mountain-ranges. Most of the principal 
genera are represented in our Flora. 
Climber with opposite leaves. Carpels 1-seeded. Sepals coloured 1, CLEMATIs. 
Herbs with alternate or radical leaves, rarely opposite on runners. 
Carpels several or numerous, short, one-seeded, Flowers always 
regular. 
gene 5, or more, often coloured and petal-like, but no real 
petals. 
An involucre of three leaves outside the flower oron the stalk 3, ANEMONE. 
No involucre. Floral leaves alternate. Stamens longer than 
the sepals. ; A - : ‘ ; : ‘ . 2, THALICTRUM, 
Petals 5 or more, usually more conspicuous than the sepals. 
Carpels very numerous, in a long, cylindrical column. 
Petals very small, with atubular claw . : . . 5, Myosurvus. 
Carpels in a globose or oblong head. Petals flat. 
Petals (usually yellow or white) with a little scale, or a 
thickened hollow spot at the base of each 2 Z 
Petals (usually red) without any scale or thickened spot 
at the base é : | 3 F : A ; . 4. ADONIS. 
Carpels several, each with several seeds. 
Flowers very irregular or spurred. 
Upper sepal helmet-shaped, withoutaspur . : ; . 12. ACONITUM. 
Upper sepal with a long spur at the base : : : . 11. DELPHINIUM, 
Sepals fatandregular. Petals witha spur at the base of each 10. AQUILEGIA. 
Flowers regular. 
Sepals large, often coloured. Petals small or none. 
Sepals bright yellow and petal-like. Realpetals none . 7. CALTHA, 
Sepals pale yellow and petal-like. Petals small, flat, and 
linear . - 3 : : : ; : ; : . 8. TROLLIUVS. 
Sepals greenish. Petals small and tubular ‘ . « 9. HELLEBORUS. 
Sepals green, smaller than the large red or white petal . 14, PHONTIA, 
Carpels solitary, with several seeds. 
Fruita capsule. Flowersspurred . - - ° : . 11. DELPHINIUM. 
Fruit a berry. Flowers nearly regular, small . : A . 13. ActmA, 
Among old inhabitants of our gardens, which have spread spontaneously, 
are the exotic genera Hranthis (Winter Aconite) and Jsopyrum, both 
closely allied to Helleborus ; and Nigella (Devil-in-the-bush), which differs 
from Helleborus in the more petal-like sepals, and the carpels connected 
together in the middle, but diverging at the top into five long points. 
6. RANUNCULUS. 
I. CLEMATIS. CLEMATIS. 
_ Stem usually climbing, and often woody at the base. Leaves opposite. 
Sepals 4 or 5, valvate in the bud, coloured and petal-like. No real petals. 
Stamens numerous. Carpels numerous, 1-seeded. | 
A numerous genus, well characterized, widely spread over the globe, and 
almost the only representative of the Order in tropical climates. Several 
European, Asiatic, and North American species are among the hardy 
climbers cultivated in our gardens, ) 
1, C. Vitalba, Linn. (fig. 1). Common C., Traveller's Joy, Old Man’s 
Beard.—A larger climber, the only indigenous plant which may give a faint 
idea of the bush-ropes of the tropics. Its woody stems attain even the thick- 
ness of the wrist and a length of several yards, whilst the young branches 
spread. to a great extent over shrubs and trees, clinging by their twisted 
