RAPHIA 
555 
The fruit is a group of achenes or follicles (capsule in Nigella, 
berry in Actaea) ; seeds with minute embryo and oily endosperm. 
The R. are mostly poisonous ; a few, e.g. Aconitum, are or have been 
medicinal. 
Classification and chief genera (after Prantl) : 
A. Ovules many : fruit a follicle, berry or capsule. 
1. Paeonieae (no honey leaves; firs, usually solitary: ovary wall 
fleshy; stigma broadened) : Paeonia. 
2. Helleboreae (usually honey-leaves; ovary wall rarely fleshy and 
then firs, in racemes ; firs, solitary or in cymes or racemes) : 
Caltha, Trollius, Helleborus, Nigella, Eranthis, Actaea, 
Aquilegia, Delphinium, Aconitum. 
B. Ovule one ; fruit an achene. 
3. Anemoneae: Anemone, Clematis, Ranunculus, Thalictrum. 
[Placed in Ranales by Benth.- Hooker, in Polycarpicae by Warm- 
ing.] 
Ranunculus (Toum.) Linn. Ranunculaceae (3). 250 sp. cosmop., esp. 
N. temp.; 15 in Brit., several of interest. R. Ficaria L. (pilewort 
or celandine) has tuberous roots, one formed at the base of each 
axillary bud; these may give rise by separation to new plants. 
R. aquatilis L. (water crowfoot) is often divided into a large number 
of so-called species (see pp. 119, 159); it has a floating stem bearing 
leaves which in many forms are of two kinds {heterofhylly , p. 163), 
the submerged leaves being much divided into linear segments, whilst 
the floating leaves are merely lobed. R. repens L. (creeping butter- 
cup or crowfoot) has creeping runners (p. 1 53) which root at the nodes 
and give rise to new plants. R. acris L. and R. bulbosus L. are 
other common buttercups ; the latter has the base of the stem thick- 
ened for storage. The firs, of R. are in cymes, regular, with well- 
marked calyx and corolla (see order for diagram). Honey is secreted 
in little pockets a* the base of the petals. The firs, are protandrous 
and visited by a miscellaneous lot of insects (p. 88). 
Raoulia Hook. f. Compositae (iv). 18 sp. N. Z., Austr. Woolly 
herbs forming dense tufted masses (p. 165), easily mistaken at a 
distance for sheep; hence they aie known as ‘vegetable sheep.* 
Rapatea Aubl. Rapateaceae. 5 sp. S. Am. 
Rapateaceae. Monocotyledons (Farinosae). 6 gen. with 25 sp. S. Am. 
Placed in Coronarieae by Benth. -Hooker, in Liliiflorae by Warming. 
For details see Nat. Pfi. 
Raphanus (Tourn.) Linn. Cruciferae (11. 10). 10 sp. Medit., Eur., 
Java. R. Rapha 7 iistrnm L. in Brit.; its pods are jointed between 
the seeds (lomentose). R. sativus L. is the radish, a biennial with 
root-storage (p. 151). 
Raphia Beauv. Palmae (in. 5). 6 sp. trop. Air., R. vinifera Beauv. 
(the wine palm) occurring also on the Amazon (see order). Spadix 
monoecious ; the bracts have a curious sheathing form. Berry 
