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NATURAL ORDERS 89 
Cr A ine ed 
RANUNCULACEZ 
The [HE simple, regular flowers belonging to this 
Helleborez. Order have been already described (‘Elementary 
Botany,” pp. 76-78); but the Helleborez must be especially 
noticed here. This group includes the Christmas Rose, with 
its conspicuous white sepals and minute petals modified into 
nectaries ; the green Hellebore (Helleborus viridis) found in 
pastures and thickets and about old walls; and the stinking 
Hellebore (1. fetidus), which occurs in stony places, chiefly on 
limestone soil. To this division of the Ranunculaceze belong 
also the Globeflower (Trollius), with its bright yellow, petaloid 
Sepals, and as many as five to fifteen small petals arranged 
spirally ; the Winter Aconite, also with conspicuous sepals ; 
and the Columbine, with spurred petals, Love-in-the-mist 
(Nigella) has five sepals, and about eight small two-lipped 
petals, the nectary being under the lower lip; whilst the 
carpels, usually five in number, are more or less completely 
united. The fruit-is of the nature of a capsule, opening when 
ripe at the top of the ventral suture. Baneberry (Actea) has 
petaloid sepals, either no petals or an indifferent number, and 
only one carpel. The fruit is a berry. 
& iregular It is, however, the irregular flowers of the Order 
Flowers of —Monkshood and Larkspur—that are especially 
the Order. interesting, for in them the structure of the flower 
Is seen to be closely connected with the visits of certain insects. 
A Buttercup, by its structure—above all, owing to its exposed 
honey—invites the visits of several kinds of insects ; but only 
humble-bees can get the honey of the Monkshood and Lark- 
Spur, for it is only those insects which have a long enough 
proboscis. Again, a Buttercup, and the majority of the 
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