Q.K47 W872 This book was presented by Frederick L. Wei Iman J NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES S01 904997 $ -4% ^A ^ i/y'^A.CJCAJ^ This book is due on the date indicated below and is subject to an overdue fine as posted at the Circulation Desk. 6 m DEC 2 7 2004 1 CYATHEA ARBOREA,-A TREE FERN. Scene on the Chagres River, Central America. HOW TO STUDY PLANTS, OR, INTRODUCTION TO BOTANY, AN ILLUSTRATED FLORA. BY ALPHONSO WOOD, A. M., Ph. D., AUTHOR OF "the CLASS-BOOK OF BOTAMV," " OBJECT LESSONS IN BOTANY, "plant recorb," etc. Edited by j. dorman Steele, Ph. d., to accompany the "FOURTEEN WEEKS SERIES IN NATURAL SCIENCE." ' There breathes, for those who understand, A voice from every flower and tree ; And in the work of Nature's hand Lies Nature's best Philosophy " Copyright, 1879. 1882, by A. S. BARNES &. COMPANY, PUBLISHERS, NEW YORK AND CHfCAGO. WOOD'S BOTANY. OBJECT LESSONS IN BOTANY, pp. 340, 12mo. An introduction to the Science, full of lively deiicription and truthful illustrations ; with a limited Flora, but a complete System of Analysis. THE BOTANIST AND FLORIST, pp. 6-20, 12mo. A thorough text- book, comprehensive and practical ; with a Flora, and System of Analysis equally complete. " I have been deeply impressed, almost astonished, (writes Prof. A. Winchell, of Univerenty of Michigan) at the evidence which this work bears of skilful and experienced authorship— nice and constant adaptation to the wants and conveniences of students in Botany," etc. THE CLASS-BOOK OF BOTANY, pp.850, 8vo. The principles of the Science more fully announced and illustrated— the Flora and Analysis complete with all our plants portrayed in language, both scientific and popular. " The whole science (writes Prof. G. H. Perkins of Vermont University), so far as it can be taught in a college course, is well presented, and rendered unusually easy of comprehension. I regard the work as most admirable." THE PLANT RECORD— a beautiful book, for classes and amateurs, show- ing, in a few pages, how to analyze a plant-any plant, and furnishing tablets for the systematic record of the analysis. FLORA ATLANTICA, or AATOOD'S DESCRIPTIVE FLORA, pp. 448, 12mo. This work is equivalent to the Part IV of the Botanist and Florist, being a succinct account of all the plants growing East of the Missis- sippi River, both native and cultivated, with a system of analytical tables weil- nigh perfect. NA/'OOD'S BOTANICAL APPARATUS— a complete outfit, for the field and the herbarium. It consists of a portable trunk, a Wire Drying Press, a Knife-trowel, a Microscope, and Forceps. •'FOURTEEN WEEKS" IN EACH SCIENCE, By J. Dorman Steele, Ph.D., F. G. S., Etc. Noio Beady: PHILOSOPHY. I PHYSIOLOGY. I ZOOLOGY. CHEMISTRY. | GEOLOGY. | ASTRONOMY. A KEY to Practical Questions in Steele's Works, Seven volumes, each, $1.00. Steele's box. PREFACE HE plan of this work differs from that of the ordinary Botany. The method pur- sued is to introduce the pupil at once to the study of the plant itself, by means of elaborate illustrations, and living speci- mens. The parts and functions, together with the generic and specific characters of each plant, are pointed out and described. The thing being seen, is then named. No new term is introduced until a necessity arises for its use. About one hundred rep- resentative plants are thus explained. The work may therefore be considered as a limited Flora. But it is much more. Through an acquaintance with these representative plants, the pupil is gradually led to a knowledge of the principles of Botany. In the com- mon treatise he is told the general law and then given illustrations ; in this, he is shown the instances, and thence conducted to the broad truth of Nature. The selection of plants for analysis has been deter- mined by the following considerations : ( i.) The plant should be common throughout the country and hence accessible to every learner; (2.) It should flower vi PREFACE. in the spring or early summer, that being the season when the study is generally pursued in our schools ; (3.) It should have conspicuous parts, at least the earlier ones, adapted to the comprehension of a begin- ner; (4.) It should belong to one of the more impor- tant Orders, as neither the limits of the book nor the requirements of the plan adopted would admit the study of them all ; finally, the selection was often influ- enced by some intrinsic feature which fitted the plant to illustrate a special principle in vegetable life, as sleep, irritability, cross-fertilization. This work is merely an introduction, conducting the pupil across the gateway only. Yet it is not de- signed for infants ; the rather for learners capable of thought and reason. To all such it offers a helping hand, seeking to smooth their path and to awaken such an interest in the subject as will induce them to pursue their investigations in more advanced books and in the broader field of Nature itself. The illustrations in this work are nearly all from original designs prepared by Mr. Sprague, " the most accurate of living botanical artists," and Mr. Emerton, designer of the illustrations in Prof. Eaton's North American Ferns. SUGGESTIONS TO TEACHERS. c^W^ I HEN EVER possible the plant described W^ ^3 in the lesson should be in the pupil's ^_^J^HL^ hand for examination. This is the very ' life of the recitation. A constant sup- ) ply of specimens should therefore be secured for this purpose. Let them be sought a day in advance and in the order of the book. The arrangement may, however, be changed when necessary to accommodate the collector's convenience. Should any terms then arise not already explained, their meaning can always be found by reference to the Glossary at the close of the book. After a few lessons have been thoroughly understood, the pupil need no longer confine his attention to the few plants treated in the text. He can readily repeat the pro- cess of analysis on any specimen he is able to secure. He should, however, be admonished that this will lead to desultory habits of study unless he completes every analysis which he begins, and records the result, in his ever-present memorandum book. The strictest care should be observed in completing the Tablets of this work or of the Plant Record. They Viii SUGGESTIONS TO TEACHERS. should be carefully and neatly filled up from notes previously arranged, and adjusted in every word and sentence, so that there may be no erasures and no interlining, and the Record may represent in every particular the pupil's best work. Blank forms should be drawn on the blackboard at every recitation, and pupils be required to complete them, subject to the criticism of the teacher and of the class as to analysis, expression, style, spelling, punctuation, etc. A microscope is essential to botanical work. Small hand-magnifiers for the use of the pupils and a larger table-instrument for the teacher, can be procured of the publishers of this book, Messrs. A. S. Barnes & Co., Ill and 113 William St., New York. The Flora Atlantica, or Wood's Descriptive Flora, is the proper sequel or companion of this treatise. By means of an elaborate system of analytical tables, the student, with a plant in hand, is unerringly guided to its name, classification and history. For this interesting work he is thoroughly prepared by the lessons in this treatise. For collecting specimens and drying them for the herbarium, there are required, (i) a tin box or trunk shutting closely ; (2) a drying press of woven wire and bibulous paper; (3) a knife-trowel. They may be obtained of the publishers above mentioned. A system of questions for study or review, generally applicable to all plants, will be found in the Appendix. It is recommended that an herbarium including, at least, all the species described in this work, be pro- vided for use in class exercises in the absence of any fresh specimen. TABLE OF CONTENTS. CHAP. PAGE I. Pigeon-wheat Moss— Polytrichum. The Analysis. Cap- sule. Operculum. Calyptra. Peristome. Spores. Flowers. The Flowerless Plants, llow the Moss grows. 13 II. The Apple Moss— Bartramia. The double peristome. Fugacious calyptra. Cellular structure. The Musci. 17 III. The Polypod Fern — Polypodium. The rhizome. Frond. Sporangia. Spores. Forked venation. How the Fern grows. 20 IV. The Osmund Ferns — Osmunda. The vernation. The species. The Order Felices. Tree Ferns. THE CRYPTOGAMIA. The uses of Ferns. The Climbing Fern. The Brake. Tlie pioneer vegetation 24 V. The Dogtooth Violet — Erythronium. The two Regions. The bulb. Leaf. Venation. The Calyx. Corolla. Sta- mens. Pistils. The fruit. Seeds. Pollen. The province Endogens. the PHENOGAMIA 29 VI. The Tulip — Tulipa. The tunicated bulb ; its contents. The flower. Varieties. The Tulip mania in Holland. ... 35 VII. The Spring Beaity— Claytonia. Tubers. A raceme. The petals and their colored lines. Opposing stamens. The seed and its albumen. iEstivation. Our two species. The PORTULACACE.E. The Portulacas. The pro\ince Exogens. 39 VIII. The Early Crowfoot — Ranunculus. Fasciculate roots. Perennial herbs. The nectary. Polyandrous and hy- pogynous stamens. The simple fruit — distinct carpels. 46 IX. Bulbous Crowfoot— Ranunculus. An inaxial root. The corm. Reflexed sepals ; economy. Plan of the flower. . 50 X. The Liverleaf — Ilepatica. Crown-stem. Palmate vena- tion. Involucre. Apetalous flowers. Anatropous seeds. 54 XI. Rue Anemone — Anemone. Tuberous root. Umbel. Com- pound leaves. Distinctness of organs. Absence of honey. 58 XII. Wood Anemone — Anemone. Creeping root; rhizome. Solitary inflorescence. Species. Order Ranunculace.e. 60 XIII. Bloodijoot — Sanguinaria. Rhizome. Juice. Caducous sepals. Parietal placentae. Dicotyledonous embryo 64 XIV. The Poppy— Papaver. An annual herb. The species. Order Papaverace/k. The California Poppy. Celan- dine, Use and culture of Opium 68 XV. The Violets — Viola. A cucullate leaf. Resupinate, ir- regular flowers. Adnate anthers. Cleistogene flowers. Economy in pollen 71 X COKTEKtS. CHAP. PAGE XVI. The Garden Violet— Viola tricolor. Lyrate-pinnatifid stipules. Auriculate sepals. Order Violace^. Species. 75 XVII. Chickweed — Stellaria. Nodes. Internodes. Centrifu- gal inflorescence. Bifid petals. Free central placenta. 78 XVIII. The Pink— Diantlms. Caudex. Caulis. The Calyx as a flower-cup. Proterandrous flowers. Teratology. Order CARYOPHYLLACEiE 80 XIX. The Wild Geranium. Nodes. Internodes. Stipules. Reg- ma. Carpophore. Folded cotyledons. Herb Robert. 83 XX. The Horse-shoe Geranium — Pelargonium. The Spur. 86 XXI. Yellow Wood Sorrel— Oxalis. Leaf trifoliate. Leaf- let obcordate. The leaf -axils. Monadelphous stamens. Contorted aestivation. Sleep of plants. The Order 89 XXII. Jewel Weed — Impatiens. Corolla irregular and spurred. Irritable fruit. Contrivances for scattering seeds.. . . 93 XXIII. Nasturtian— Tropseolum. Peltate leaves. Spurred sepal. Unguiculate petals. The order Geraniace^. 95 XXIV. Shepherd's Purse— Capsella. Leaves amplexicaul. Flowers cruciform, tetradynamous. A silicle 89 XXV. The ToOTHROOT Cress — Cardamine. Asilique. Cotyle- dons accumbent — incumbent. Order Crucifer^. . . 101 XXVI. Strawberry — Fragaria. Scape. Cyme. Peri gy nous sta- mens. Strawberry fruit. Quincuncial aestivation. Hairs, 101 XXVII. The Apple Tree— Pyrus. Trunk. Wood. Medullary rays. Annual layers. Food of plants. Circulation of the sap. Ovary adherent. Fruit a pome. Seed. Germination, 107 XXVIII. The Rose— Rosa. History, The Prickles, Odd-pin- nate leaves. Ovary inferior. Seed suspended. The Hip, The Double Rose. The order Rosacea, Peach, Quince, Blackberry, Spirea, etc 113 XXIX, The Pea — Pisum, Tendrils, their action. Papiliona- ceous flower. Diadelphous stamens. Legume 117 XXX. The Locust Tree— Robinia. Stipular spines. Sensi- tiveness. The Sensitive Plant. The Moving Plant. The order Leguminos^e 121 XXXI. The Evening Primrose— (Enothera. Leaves spirally arranged. Root biennial. Calyx adherent, tubular. Flowers nocturnal 125 XXXII. Lady's Eardrops — Fuchsia. Angular pollen grains. Hybridization. Order Onagrace^. Zauschneria. . , 128 XXXIII, Sweet Cicely— Osmorhiza. The axial root. Decom- pound leaves. Sheathing petioles. Compound um- bel. Involucels. The cremocarp. Carpophore 131 XXXIV. Golden Alexanders — Carum. Ovary inferior. Ribs and vitae of the fruit. Oil tubes. Action of light. The order Umbellifer^ 134 OONtENTS. Xi «Shap. page XXXV. The Mouse-ear Everlasting — Antennaria. Stolons. Dioecious plants. Heads of florets. Receptacle. In- volucre. Pappus clubby. Cypsela 187 XXXVI. Robin's Plantain — Erigeron. Heads radiate. Florets of the ray. Florets of the disk. Ligulate corolla. . 140 XXXVII. TuE Dandelion— Taraxacum. Runcinate leaves. Ra- diant, homogamous heads. Chaff. Syngenecious anthers. The order CoMPOSiTyE. Chickory, Camo- mile, Aster. Chrysanthemum. Solidago 143 XXXVIII. The Check ;:RBERRY—Gaultheria. Urceolate corolla. Curious fruit. The Black Checkerberry 147 XXXIX. TriE Pyrolas. Anthers inverted in bud , opening by pores. The six species 150 XL. Prince's Pine— Chimaphila. Horned anthers 152 XLI. The Kal^iias. Elastic stamens. Pollenization. The order Ericaceae. The Heaths. Blueberries. Cranber- ries. Azalias May-flower 155 XLII. The Pitcher Plant— Sarracenia. Ascidia. Order Sar- R.\CENIACE.E. Camivorous Planter. Venus' Flytrap . . 158 XLIII. The American Cowslip— Dodecatheon. Opposing stamens. Dimorphism. Free central placenta 161 XLIV. Chick WiNTERGREEN — Trientalis. 7-parted flowers. . . 164 XLV. The Loosestrifes — Lysimachia. Verticillate leaves.- Monadelphous stamens. Opposing stamens explained. Order Piumulace.e. Cyclamen. Anagallis. Primrose. 165 XL VI. The Speedwells — Veronica. Why so called, A two- celled capsule. Exserted stamens. The species .... 170 XLVII. Toad Flax — Linaria. Pentamerous flowers. Personate corolla. The spur, — what can reach its honey. Order Scrophul.vce.e. Digitalis. Pentstemon 173 XLVIII. The Ground Ivy — Nepeta. Naturalized plants. Bi- labiate corolla. Halved anthers. Seeds ap])areutly naked. The Catmint 1 76 XLIX. Blue Curls — Brunella, Cuspidate bracts. Hairs jointed. The lip a doorstep for bees. Order Labiat.e. Pep- permint. Oil of Spike. Lavender 179 L. The Morning Glory — Ipomoea. Ephemeral flowers. Supervolute fpstivation. The disk. Use of pollen ; — nectar. Septifragnl dehiscence. Albumen. Vital- ity of seed. The bud. CoNVOLVUf ace.e 182 LI. Rock Maple — Acer. Tree picturesque. Theory of leaf- forms. Autumnal colors. Maple sugar. Other Maplee. 188 LII. The Horsi^. Chestnut— .'Rsculus. History. Phyllo- taxy. Digitate leaves. Sujij^'ssion of ovules. The Sapindace.e. The Sonpberry tree 11)2 LIII. The Silk Grass — Ascl«-)>ias. Pollinia. Corona, hoods and horns. Cross fertilization. The Ast lepiadace^E The Cow tree. Carrion flower. ... 195 Xll COKTEN^TS. CHAP. p^GE LIV. Spotted Knotwood— Polygonum. Oclirese. Apeta- lous flowers. An aclieuium. Other species. Tlie nectar defended from ants The Polygonace^ 199 LV. The Spukges — Euphorbia. A monandrous flower. A glandular involucre. Poisonous juice. The Euphor- BIACE^. Tapiota. Caoutchouc 204 LVI. The White Oak— Quercus. Aments. Wind-fertiliza- tion. Acorns. Germination. History. Straight- veined leaves. The Cupuliferje. The value of Mast. Oak timber. Nut-galls 207 LVII. The White Pine — Pinus. Acerous leaves. Triple pollen grains. Biennial fruit. The cone. Naked seeds. Root fences. Other species 314 LVIII. The Hemlock— Abies„ Excurrent trunk. The Conif- ERJS. Pitted cells. The Douglass Fir. The Giant Cedars. Turpentine 218 LIX. The Palmetto— Sabal. Tree with one bud. Caudex. The endogenous structure. Other Palms. Germi- nation of the Cocoanut. The Palmace^. Date Palm. Sago. Vegetable Ivory. Palm oil 223 LX. Jack-in-the-Pulpit — Arisaema. The spadix and spathe. Golden Club. Calla. The Arace^. Sweet Flag 229 LXI. The Showy Orchis — An orchidaceous perianth, Gy- nandrous stamens. Pollinia= How fertilized. A walking plant 233 LXII. Orchis Psychodes. O. orbiculata. Lady's Slipper. The Orchidace^. Mimicry of insects, birds, etc 237 LXIII. Iris, or Blue Flag. Ensiform leaves. Pollenization. The Fleur-de lis in history , , 241 LXIV. Blue-eyed Grass— Sisyrinchium. The Iridace^ 244 LXV. The Trilliums. Net-veined endogens. Wake-robin. The Bath-flower. Indian Cucumber. The Trilliace^. 246 LXVI. Bellwort, or Wild Oats — Uvularia. Perfoliate leaves. Loculicidal pods. U. sessilifolia, and other species . . 254 LXVII. Lily-of-the-Valley— Convallaria. Gamopetalous. Ori- gin of the stem. History. Clintonia. The Liliace^. 254 LXVIII. The Star -grass— Hypoxis. Sagittate anthers. Species. 258 LXIX. The Sedges. Galingale — Cyperus. The umbels. The naked flowers. The spikes.* The Eushes. Achenium. 263 LXX. The Sedges. Carex. Triangular culm. Monoecious spikes. Perigynium. Glume. The Cyperace^. Papyrus... 265 LXXI. The Grasses. The turf. Culm. Sheath. Ligule. Poa pratensis. Wind-fertilization. Blue Grass. Fowl Meadow „ , 271 LXXII. Orchard Grass — Dactylis. Secund panicles. Keeled glumes 274 LXXIII. Sweet Vernal Grass — Anthoxanthum. Germination of the Grasses. The order Gramine^e. The cereals. Bamboo. Hay — of what grasses made 276 " Happy, in my judgment. The wandering /i^rbaiist, 7vho clear alike From vain^ and that zuorse evil, vexing thoughts, * * * * peeps round For some rate Jlo-joret of the hills, or plant of craggy f'jun'ainsy WuRDdWORTK " Floxver in the crannied ivall, I pliuk you out of the crannies : If.iU you here, root and all. in my hand. Little /lower, but if I could understand V/kat you are, root and all, and all in all, I shyuld know ivhat God and man is." Tennyson, BOTANY. I. PIGEON-WHEAT MOSS. Description. — The portrait is before us (p. 15). We cannot fail to recognize a little rustic friend we have often met in our country rambles, covering the dry knolls in pastures among rocks and stumps.* Examining this plant as a whole, we see that it is a mossy herb, erect, 3 to 8 inches high, branched at the base, above which it is not branched, but simple, as the botanists say. Coming next to study the plant in detail, we find that it is organized, i. e., made of cooperating parts. Five of these — the root, stem, leaf, stalk, and fruit — are readily distinguished. Analysis.! — The l^oot is the base of the plant. It grows in the ground, and is the part first formed. Its use is to hold the plant in its place and to take up nourish- ment from the soil. There are numerous small fibers or rootlets branching from the main root or axis, to give a broader foothold and aid in absorbing food. J The Stem {a h) springs from the root. It is upright, simple, 1 to 3 inches high, round and tapering, or, as we . may hereafter say, terete. * Specimens of this plant may be collected at all seasons of the year, and in drying they will lose none of their comeliness. t Analysis.~Q\-eQ\^ ana, each, or severally, and luein, to loosen or dissolve, means to consider anything in its dUiereut parts separately, one by one. X The life-history of the Moss begins in a mesh of green, gossamer-like threads that spring from tlie spore which serves for its seed. For a time, 5 to -10 days, tliis mat slowly gathers strength, when suddenly on one of the crossings a tiny bud appears— a whorl of scaly leaves. Now true roots creep down into the soil, the threads drop away, the stem ascends. No one plants the Moss ; it does not follow the track of man in his migrations ; yet it is everywhere present to greet his coming. In the barren sands, in the chinks of the naked rock, wall, or pavement, wherever a spore may find a lodg- ment, tlicre the Moss weaves its tiny mesh, and srows its diminutive forest. 14 PIGEOI^- WHEAT MOSS. The I^eaves are green or brownish, and grow mostly from the upper part of the stem. They are (1) long- pointed, and shaped somewhat like a spear or lance, only narrower, approaching the form of a line — ; hence they are said to be linear-lanceolate. The edges are serru- late (Lat. serrula, a little saw). The Stalk {i c) rises from the top of the stem among the leaves, and is therefore said to be terminal ; and as it supports the fruit, it is called the pedicel {^jedic^ilns, a little foot). It is erect, usually longer than the stem, smooth, brown, thread-shaped {filiform). The ^7'uii {c) is borne aloft on the pedicel. It is the last part produced by the plant, the chief end and aim of its whole life. It is a small square box or cai^sule (7), covered while growing by a hairy cap or calyptra (6). When ripe, the calyptra vanishes, the capsule nods (8), and the lid — operculum (9) at the top opens, revealing within a greenish dust. This consists of a multitude of tiny grains or spores, soon to be scattered on the ground, and to serve as seeds. After the operculum has fallen off, the mouth (stoma) remains open, and is seen beautifully bordered by a circlet of teeth. This is called the peristome (Gr. peri, around, stoma, mouth). With a microscope we can see that the teeth are blunt (10), and 64 in number.* Classification. — At the top of the stem, before the fruit arises, we may often find a group of organs resembling and indeed serving as a flower (2).f But being colorless and * In other kinds of Moss the number of the teeth is 4, 8, 16, 3^— always Bome power of 2. Sometimes the peristome is double, the inner one consisting of as many little hairs (dim.) •\ In Fig. 1 (2) the artist has delineated a male, or sterile flower of Polytrichnm (for two kinds of flowers are developed by this Moss). In 4 is seen, greatly mag- nified, the special organs (two anfheridia, and o, o, two paraphyses) of the sterile flower. In 5, also greatly magnified, are seen the two pistiliclia of a fertile flower, from one of which the capsule arises, the other proving abortive ; 3 is one of the (sepals). Pig. I— Pijjeon-Wheat Moss, Polytrichum commnne. The portrait represents the plant in nearly full size. The other ligures are dissections, showing the various orpans magnified, as under a microscope ; i, a sterile flower, magnilicd. 16 PIGEON-WHEAT MOSS. insignificant in appearance, it is easily overlooked. Hence the early botanists called this and all the Mosses, Lichens, &c., Cryptogams (= Cryptogamia), that is, plants with hid- den flowers, or more familiarly, the Flowerless Plants. The Name given to this plant by Linnaeus,* the founder of the science of Botany, is Polytriclmm, a name derived from the Greek polys, much, thriXy hair ; on account of its hairy calyptra. ANALYSIS OF THE PIGEON-WHEAT MOSS. Parts, Members, Organs. DESCRIPTION. THE PLANT. An herb 5 to 8 inches high, with leafy mrdure, branched at base. ROOT. The basis of the plant, growing downward in the soil. Axis. Crooked, diminishing downward. Fibers. Ilany, short, branching from the axis. STEM. One or more from the root, erect, terete, 1' to 3', leafy. Pedicel. Terminal, smooth, brown, thread-shaped, long, naked. LEAVES. Greenish, linear4ancedafe, pointed, crowded aboxie. FRUIT. Terminal, erect at first, finally nodding. Calyptra. A cap of matted hairs, pointed at top. Capsule. A small box, generally four-sided, opening at top. Operculum. The Ud of tTie capsule, round, pointed in centre. Peristome. The fringe of the rrwuth, consisting of 6U teeth. Spores. Greenish, dmt-like, contained in the capsule, for seeds. CLASSIFICATION. The Grand Division, CR^PTOGAMIA. The Tribe, MOSSES or MIJSCI. Family or Genus, Polytriclium. * In his botanical tours in Lapland, Linnaeus found this Moss very abundant, and tells us that in his hours of rest he often made it his couch and pillow. BARTRAMIA POMIFORMIS. 17 The Recordt — In the preceding tablet are recorded the jn-incipal facts we have now learned concerning the Pigeon- wheat Moss. Review of the Scientific Terms which have been employed and defined in this lesson. If the student will master them here, they need not be explained hereafter. Analysis. Axis. Calyptra. Capsule. Cryptogamia. Lanceolate. Linear. Operculum, Organized. Pedicel. Peristome. Rootlet. Simple. Spores. Stoma. Terminal. Terete. II. THE APPLE MOSS. • /Description. — This pretty Moss is known by its round, apple-shaped capsules. It grows in large, dense tufts, 2' or 3' (inches) high, of a light or yellowish-green color, often cov- ering the ground on shady banks or in open woodlands. Analysis. — The ^oot is a simple axis, clothed with mi- nute rootlets, which appear like a soft brownish down. The Slems are densely crowded, repeatedly forking, or dicliotomous (dividing by pairs), covered and concealed by their leaves. The Z/ eaves are numerous and crowded on the stem and ^ s branches. They are narrower fig. ii.-Bartramia pomif6rmi6. than those of the Polytrichum, narrower even (proportion- ately) than a cobbler's awl ; hence we define them as linear- suhdate {suhula, an awl).* * Viewed under a fitrong microscope, the leaf of this Moss, and indeed every other part of it, appears a tissue of cells all of one shape and size throughout— polygons somewhat longer than wide. In other words, the Moss is wholly composed of cellular tissue. 18 THE APPLE MOSS. The Statk or pedicel is terminal or nearly so, erect, 6" to 10" (seconds r= lines or twelfths of an inch) high, slender, yellowish, much shorter than the stem. The ^7mit or ca^Dsule (1) is slightly nodding, globular when fresh, oval and showing many ribs or furrows when dry (2). The cap or calyptra (1) is small, smooth, split on one side, and soon vanishing, or fugacious {fngere, to flee away). The lid or operculum is very small, somewhat conical. Under a microscope the peristome shows an outer row of 16 teeth, tlij.'ee of them being seen in the figure (3). There is also an inner row of as many hairs {cilice). The N"aine by which this Moss is known in science is Bctrtramia. It was conferred by Linnaeus, A. d. 1750, in honor of John Bartram,* of Philadelphia. But this, how- ever, is t]ie title of a family or genus, including several kinds or sjjecies. A second name is therefore added to designate the species,! viz., Bartramia pomiformis (Latin, pomiim, apple ; format form). J The Record. — Following the example given in the pre- ceding lesson, the student will now fill the blanks in the annexed tablet. The descriptions are to be drawn from the text or from fresh observations of the plant (p. 17). See directions in '' Suggestions to Teachers," p. 6. The Order. — The Mosses are among the higher orders of the cryptogams. They have proper stems and green * Bartram was a Pennsylvania farmer, said by Linnaeus to be the greatest natural botanist then living. He traveled through the forests which at that early day covered so large a part of our country, collected plants and established in Philadelphia the first Botanic Garden in America. t The same is true of our Polytrichum, whose specific name is Polytrichum cmn- mune (= common), or P. ccnnmune. X Many object to scientific names in an elementary book. It should be remem- bered, however, that they are brief, exact, and universal ; i. e,, they are used in all scientific books and are known to all nations. The common names are local, and vary not only in different countries, but in different parts of the same country. In this work the English name is given first, then the classical or scientific. Thg ptudent should know both, but in conversation may use either. ANALYSIS OF THE APPLE MOSS. 19 a 20 THE POLYPOD FERN. leaves, while the Moulds, Mushrooms and Lichens have neither. Not less than 2000 species have been described, chiefly inhabiting the cool and rocky regions of the Earth. On the cinders of Mt. Hood they form the first verdant specks of vegetation, and the cliffs of Mt. Washington are already green with mossy tufts and beds. Cold swamps are everywhere being filled with Sphagnum and other Mosses, whose remains accumulate and are, in time, condensed to peat — a valuable fuel in some countries where wood and coal are scarce. Review of the Scientific Terms used in this lesson : Cilia. Dicliotomous. Fugacious. Subulate. Species. III. THE POLYPOD FERN. Description. — This comely Fern is found everywhere in old forests, growing on stony steeps, and covering the rocks and boulders with a matted turf composed of their tangled stems and roots. Analysis. — We may conveniently divide this plant into two portions or regions ; first, that of the stem and root under ground (subterranean); second, that of the leaf and fruit above ground (aerial). The analysis will then proceed as before. Tlie ^ool consists of a numl)er of thread-like or hair- like fibers, branching into tinj fihrils, growing all along the stem. The Ste?n creeps about in the soil. It is many-branched, and covered with soft, narrow scales. As it never rises into the air it is properly a root-stock or rliizome. * * Plants with rhizomes are not uncommon. They are always perennial, i. e., living from year to year, and otherwise noted for their strong vitality. Those which have rhizomes long, slender, branching, are inclined to take exclusive possession of the soil, and so become in fields and gai'dens troublesome weeds. Such is the Polypod in Europe. On the contrary, in sandy sea-shores and dykes they are useful, binding r-he soil into a firm turf resisting the washing of the waves. See XJU and LXV. POLY PODIUM. 21 The Z/€af is all of the plant that is seen while growing. It is more than a mere leaf, since it bears the fruit as well as the foliage. Being thus a combination of stalk and leaf, it is called the frond (Lat. frons, a leafy branch). It stands inclined so as to present an upper and an under surface, both being green. At the base its stalk is called the dipe. Its mar- gins are deeply cleft in numerous segments f~ termed pinnce (wings). Hence the frond ^ is said to be pinnatifid or wing-cleft. The Veins or ribs demand a careful ^ study. There are three kinds. The mid- ^.. vein is the largest ; it is the continuation of the stipe from the hase of the frond to ^=<<^^?$s» Fia. III.— Polypddium viil!?S,rc : 1, a fruit-bearing vein ; 2, fruit-cluster ; 3, a side view ; 4, a capsule open ; 5, a spore, greatly magnified. its end or apex: 2d, the voinlefs branch from the midvein and pass through the middle of each of the ])inna? : 3d, the veinulets branch from the veinlets, then divide or fork, and 22 THE POLTPOD FERK SO end either in the edge (margin) of the frond, or in a fruit-cluster (2). This kind of veining {venation) in the larger veins is styled pinni-veined, or feather-veined, and that in the \Qmw\Qt'&— for k-vei?ied. The ^rzdt is formed at the end of yeinulets (1), on the under surface (the back) of the frond.* It consists of numerous round, reddisli brown, regularly arranged patches called sori (sorus, plur. sori, a heap). Under the microscope these heaps (2) are found to be composed of numerous roundish vessels (sporangia), each on a pedicel (3) and filled with spores. The contrivance for opening these spore cases is very curious. Each one is clasped by an elastic, vertical ring. When ripe and dry, the ring con- tracts, breaks asunder, tears open the cell (4), and throws the spores (5) to a distance, f Classification. — No flower is ever seen on this or any other Fern.J: Therefore they are classed with the Mosses in the subkingdom Cryptogamia, or Flowerless Plants. The Name. — Polypod or Polypody is a contraction of * The spores of the brake are hidden under the margin of the leaves, bo that anciently it was thought that the Fern bears no seed. Later it was believed that the fern-seed was visible only on St. John's Eve, just at the moment when the saint was born ! "But on St. John's mysterious night, Sacred to many a wizard spell, The hour when fli-st to human sight Confest, the mystic fern-seed fell." The superstitious belief that he who could at that hour get some of the fern-seed, became invisible, is frequently alluded to by the old poets. Shakespeare says : "We have the receipt of fern-seed ; we walk invisible, * + The spores of the Ferns are numerous. Let the student calculate them in one of these fronds. Professor Lindley obser\'es of the Hart's-tongne (Scolopendrium), a small Fern, that each frond produces about 80 fruit-clusters (sori), with an average of about 4500 spore-cases in each cluster, and in each spore case .50 spo-^es. The num- ber of spores on each frond would then be 80 x 4500 x 50 = 18,000,000 If all should grow, they would in a few years cover the whole continent. X In germination, the spore of the Pern first develops into a green body resera bling a Liverwort, called the prothallus. On this prothallus are certain little organs analogous to stamens and pistils, by which a second set of spores is generated, in advance of the true Fern. Thus In the Fern, as in some msects, there i'^ an altfi'^nate generation ,• it i? first a Liverwort, then a Fera. (See Zoology, p. 220, AaUidae.' POLYPODIUAi 23 the Latin luinie, PohjiJudium (Gr. pdys, many, j;oJ«, feet), given it by Linnaeus in allusion to its numerous creeping underground stems. As there are many species, ours is named P. vidgdre, the Common Polypod. Scientific Terms defined in this lesson : Aerial. Fibrils. Fork- veined. Frond. Mid vein. Pinna (plur. pinnae). Pinnatifid. Pinni- veined. Protliallus. Rhizome. Root-stock. Sorus (plur. sori). Spo- rangium (plur. sporangia). Stipe. Subterranean. Veinlet. Veinulet, Venation. ANALYSIS OF THE POLYPOD FERN. Kegicus, Parts, Members, Oi^ns. DESCRIPTION. SL^TEKRANEAN. Parts wider ground. Root. Many thread-like fibers and hair-like fib/ Us. Stem. Creeping, bmnching, scaly. AERIAL. Parts above ground. Frond. Pinnatifid, with oblong pinnce, 8' high. Stipe. Green, naked {not scaly). Veins. The frame-work. Mid vein. Largest vein, from base to atiex. Veinlets. One in the midst of each lobe, or pinna. Veinulets. Forked, bearing thefntit. Fruit. On the back of the frond. Sori. iVaked, rovnded. Sporangia. Roundish, stalked, with an elastic ring. Spores. TeUow, dust-like particles, as seeds. CLASSIFICATION.-Subkingdom, CRYPTOGAMIA. Tribe, The Fkrns. Name.— Genu?, Polyiibdhim ; SpecicB, P. rtilgrire. 34 THE OSMUND FERNS. IV. THE OSMUND FERNS. That tall Fern So stately y of the queen Osmunda named: Plant lovelier, in its own retired abode On Gras7nere''s beach, than Naiad by the side Of Grecian brook. Wordsworth. Description. — Excursions in the old mossy damp woods^ in the month of May, are generally rewarded by a rich dis- play of these large, majestic Ferns already in fruit. They grow in circular clumps springing from a thick subterra- nean stem, or root-stock. As in the Polypods, the fronds constitute the aerial region. They are very smooth, often 3-5 feet in height, and a yard in width. Clayton's Osmunda, shown in the cuts, bearing its fruit in the middle of the frond, is earliest ripe, and therefore the first to be analyzed. Analysis. — The Root is of many fibers, with branches innumerable, short, spreading at right angles (divaricate) ^ filling the soil. The Stein is wholly subterranean, a thick blackish rhi- zome of loose texture and partly woody, living many years {pere^mial). The J^ro?id is twice divided; first into many distinct pinnae, arranged in pairs along the lengthened stipe or racliis (Gr. back-bone); then each pinna is cut into oblong lobes or segments. This twofold division is termed pinnate- pinnatifid or Mpinnatifid. The venation, like that of Polypod, is pinni-veined and fork-veined (2). Ye^malion. — When starting from the ground in early spring, each frond is a coil rolled from the top inward and downward, gradually unfolding, scroll-like, as it grows (5). Fig. IV. Osmfinda ClaytoniJlna, with five dissections ; 2, a !=egment or lobe, showing the forked venation ; 3, chistcrs of spore-cases (enlarged) ; 4, one of the spore-cases (capsules) still further magnified ; 5, young frond, showing its mode of vernation. NoTK.— Specific names are generally adjective.^, and should never begin witli a cai)ital letter, except (1) when the iiauie is derived from a person or a CDuntry, as O. Claytoniilna, or Erythrouium Americ^uum ; and (,2) when it is a uaun, as Dode- catheon Mcadia. 2 / ^6 IHE OSMUiq^D FERNS. This mode of bud-folding* is termed mrciyMe (Lat. circ%* nuS) a compass). The J^rui'l is densely clustered on some of the middle pinnae, which contract their leaf-portion to a mere green edge. The sporangia or spore-cases open lengthwise into two halves or Aalves, containing the dust-like spores. The Name of this noble genus of Ferns is Osmunda, from Osmunder, one of the titles of the Celtic Thor, god of thunder, whence we also deri^tlie word Thursday, (Thor's-day). The species just analyzed is 0. ,Claytoniand, named in honor of John Clayton, one of our earliest cinnamdmea, the Cinnamon Fern, has some of the central fronds of each clump wholly fertile and condensed into fruit, tall cinnamon-colored clusters, looking like flames [— whe;ice they a/e often called the Flaming Fern. Ck regdlisy Eoyal Osmund, our tallest Fern, with its fronds separated into innumerable distinct leaflets, and its fruit all terminal, is celebrated for its regal beauty, f The Order. — Ferns constitute one of the tribes oi orders of the Cryptogams, named in science Filices. They grow in all countries, but are most abundant in New Zealand and the tropical islands, where the climate is warm and damp. Of the 2000 species known, not more than 200 are native outside the tropics, and not over half of these in the United States. The Ferns are the largest of the Cryptogams. In the Tropics they become trees, their pinnated plumes drooping * The term vernation (vemus, the spring) was invented by Linnseus to express the general idea of bud-folding. t In Europe this Osmund irrows to a height often of 11 feet, and its great masses of green leaf-sprays form a marked feature in the landscape. Its tall stalk generally (Stands erect, but sometimes it acquires a drooping habit, as at the Lakes of Killar- ney. It there fringes the banks, especially of the river which connects the lakes, and its long fronds arching gracefully over, dip into the crystal water, forming covert* whence the birds gaze fearlessly out upon the passing traveler. OSMUXDA. 2? from the summit of trunks 40 feet in lieiglit. Fern remains are abundant in bituminous coal (see Geology, p. 155), and the rocky roofs of the mines are frescoed with the delicate tracery of their fronds in wonderful variety. These fossils indicate that at one j)eriod of the Earth's history, the Ferns constituted a large part of the yegetation. Among our native Ferns are the Maidenhair (Adiantuni), the Climbing Fern (Lygodium), the Common Brake (Pteris). Splendid tropical Ferns flourish in our conservatories. Many of our own may be easily cultivated in the open air, or in Wardian cases with pleasing results. The Ferns are not important either as food or medicine. The rhizomes and young shoots of several species are eaten in Australia and Oceanica in the absence of better food. Aspidium fragrans has the scent of raspberries and has been used for tea. From the Maidenhair a cough syrup called Syrup of Capillaire, is made. Aspidium Filix-mas is an effectual vermifuge. The Cryptogams. — Besides the Ferns and the Mosses, this Grand Division includes also the Clubmosses (Lycopods), the Horsetails (Equisetaceas), the Liverworts (Hepaticae), the Scalemosses (Lichens), the Seaweeds (Algag) and the Moulds and Mushrooms (Fungi), plants descending to the lowest rank, the simplest structure, and the minutest dimensions.* Scientific Terms defined : — Bipinnatifid. Circinate. Divaricate. Perennial. Pinnate-pinnatifid. Racliis. Vernation. * The Cryptogams are numerous and minute beyond conception. They inhabit every clime, from the Equator to the Poles. They lie at the foundation of all life. Without them vegotable and consequently animal life would be impossible. They —their lower tribes— are the first to grow on cinders, sands and rocks. The last they gradually disintegrate, and, by the decay of successive generations, form a« length a soil capable of sustaining plants of higher or;lers— grains, grasses and trees^ on which animals may live. Thus plants of higher rank replace those of lower, amr fatten on their sjjoils. But sooner or later these also i)erish, and tlien the Crypto, gams resume their sway. On fallen leaves and trunks they multiply, encompassing penetrating, consuminir, and iu a few years restore to the earth, with interest, tlif materials which they had borrowed. 28 a:n"alysis of a ferk. ERYTHRONIUM. 29 V. THE DOG-TOOTH VIOLET. Description. — Spring has come again. The winds blow soft from the West and South over the melting snowbanks. Birds once more fill the air with song, while the plants, awakened from their winter's sleep, put on their robes of leaf and flower. Down in the woody vale, or in the thicket by the river, the Dogtooth Violet already hangs out its yellow bell. Though scentless, the flower attracts by its airy grace. We must dig carefully around its tender stalk if we would raise it entire, for its root strikes deep into the loamy soil. Examining the plant as a whole, we find it smooth and pol- ished in surface, plump and fleshy in substance, and plain in outline. As it lives above-ground only one season, dying at the approach of Winter, it is an lierl. Analysis. — The wdiole plant may be divided into two parts — the Leaf region and the Floiuer region^ and each of these again into three parts. To the Leaf -region belong the root, stem and leaf ; to the Flower-region, the stalk, flower, and fruit. A little reflection will show that the former parts work for the plant itself, and the latter for its posterity which is to spring from its seed.* The Leaf Region. — The ^ool is fibrous, i. e., it con- sists oi fibers and fibrils. The former start from the bottom of the stem deep in the ground, and are long and white; the latter are the minute subdivisions of the fibers. The Slem is a simple, slender column (caulis) with its lower end apparently enlarged into a bulb, whence it is called a bulbous stem. The bulb, Avhich is egg-shaped or ovoid (Lat. ovum, an egg), consists of many scales, thick, white, and * Hence the former are called the vegetative organs, and the latter, the repro- ductive. 30 THE DOG-TOOTH VIOLET. Fig. v.— Erythronium Americanum : 1, an expanded flower ; 2, plan of the flower ; 3, the pistil ; 4, 5, sections of the fruit ; 6, section of a seed, showing the emhryo an^ albumen. ERYTHRONIUM. 31 broad, growing out of the solid base from which the stem arises. The Z/eaves, 2 in all, are placed nearly opposite each other on the stem, the lower being the larger. Their rich green color is singularly variegated with purplish and whitish blotches. They stand out on a narrow base — a foot- stalk. This is called the x>etiolc, and the expansion of the leaf is the blade. The latter is in outline both elliptical and lanceolate, so that we may style it eUiptical-lanceolate. The apex is acute. The margins are even and entire (without teeth or notches). Ye7iatio7i. — The leaf is marked with fine lines running lengthwise in nearly parallel curves corresj^onding with the contour of the margin. They indicate the course of the veins and show what is called a parallel venation. The Flower Regiox. — The Stalk which supports the flower is called the 'peduncle (a term higher in rank than pedicel). Its top, forming the basis of the flower, is the torus. It bends under the weight of the flower, but bears the fruit erect. The I^toiPei* is the latest, gayest, and frailest part of the plant. It is solitary, drooping or nodding from the curved top of the peduncle. We can easily count 13 distinct mem- bers or organs composing it. There are G lanceolate recurved (bent back) leaflets, and six slender columns, all standing on the torus around one central column. The 6 leaflets together constitute the perianth (GiY. j^cri, around, antlios, flower).* These 13 may be assorted into 4 groups of organs. The 3 outer leaflets, (c) orange-red on the back, are sepals, and together form the calyx (cup, or goblet). The 3 inner are * The leaflets of the perianth are recurved more or less according to the hour of the day and the amount of sunliglit. At wh^ht they close, and ^''^dually open as the day advances, and at midday in a bright sun they arc recurved as sliown \n our cut. See XXI, ou the Sleep of plants. 32 THE DOG-TOOTH VIOLET. petals (p) and constitute the corolla (crown). Let the stu- dent take note of the two blunt teeth opposite each other near the base of each petal. Within the corolla and peri- anth are the 6 stamens — those slender bodies arranged in 2 circles. Each stamen is made up of a filament (fila, thread) bearing at the top an anther — a little oblong box with 2 cells Dpening lengthwise by slits. These contain minute grains of pollen, which in due time escape by the open slits. The jPotlen must be studied under the microscope. Then it appears composed of innumerable grains, oval, yellowish- brown, and peculiarly marked (7). Their use in aiding the formation of the seed will be shown in future lessons.* The "Pistil {pistillum, pestle) is the central organ (3). Being the most important part of all, destined to become the fruit and seed, it is thus surrounded and protected by all the other organs. It is composed of the ovary at the base, the stigma at the top, and the style between. The stigma is 3-lobed, and on dissecting the ovary (4, 5) we shall find 3-cells. May we not infer that there are 3 pistils united into this one compound pistil ? Plan" OF THE Flower. — The diagram (2) exhibits the relatiye position of the different members of this flower as they stand upon the torus. They occupy five circles. The outer circle is the calyx, and c c c the position of the sepals. The 2d circle is the corolla, and p p p the position of the petals. The 3d and 4th circles are the stamens, and s their * Infinitely more pollen is produced than is needed, just as in spring time there are more blossoms on the apple tree than could possibly be matured. So abundant is the yellow pollen developed and shed by the Pine that we frequently see the ground in Pine forests covered with it ; and swept off by the winds, it falls at a distance, alarming the ignorant with a " sulphur rain." The amount shed by the grasses fills the air, producing in sensitive nostrils the effect called the "hay fever." A single Pseony-flower, according to Darwin, produced 3,654,000 grains of pollen. Everywhere in the floral world we meet with the two opposite rules of profuse prodigality and extreme economy. "It is the moral of the New Testament story— feeding the hun- gry thousands and then gathering up the fragments that nothing be lost." ERYTHRONIUM. 33 places severally. The inner circle shows the position of the 3 united ovaries (o o o, called also carpeU), Each member alternates in position with its next neighbors; e. g., the petals with the sepals and the outer stamens, «&;c. And the members are all in 3s — 3 sepals, 3 petals, 3 outer stamens, &c. Hence the flower is said to be alternating, syuwietrical, and S-jjaried, The J^ricit is the full-grown and complete ovary. The flower is of short duration. The sepals, petals, stamens and stjde soon fade, wither, and fall. They are decidaoiis. But the ovary is persistent, growing, and ripening a month after the flower has done its work. It is then a dry seed-box — a capside, having its 3 cells packed full of seeds. Here we come to the ultimate product of the plant, that for which it lived, grew, bloomed, and labored. In the shell of the seed (called the testa) is safely inclosed the rudiment of a new plant ready to be developed into the likeness of the parent. A careful dissection (6) will show the structure of this rudiment — the emlryo. It appears a simple cylin- drical body lying in a white fleshy substance called albumen. (See p. 42.) Classification.— The Dogtooth Violet, by the presence of its conspicuous flower, is in marked contrast with the Pigeon-wheat and the Polypod. They represent the Flow- erless (Cryptogamia) and this the Flowering Plants (Phenc- gamia).* Moreover, by the presence of parallel-veined le&ves, S-jmrted fiotvers, and seeds with a simple {not lohed) tnnlryOy this plant represents the Endogens, one of the two provinces into which the Flowering Plants are divided. (For the other province, see p. 43.) The Name. — This plant is a Lily rather than a Violet, * Thus the Vegetahle Kingdom is parted into two suhkingdoms, known by the ahsence or presence of visible flowers. This division was first recognized A. D. 1682, by John Ray, of England. 34 THE DOG-TOOTH VIOLET. ANALYSIS OF THE DOG-TOOTH VIOLET. OKGANS, &c. DESCRIPTION. THE PLANT. A smooth, fleshy herb. i o Cd Is] s o i. mFLOEESCENCE Solitary, terminal, pedunculate. FLOWER. Drooping, bell-form, 3-parted, alternating. Caltx. Orange, greenish, and yellow. Sepals. 3, lanceolate, recurved. Corolla. Within the calyx, yellow. Petals. 3, lanceolate, yellow, recurred, 2-toothed. Stamens. 6, in ttvo rows or sets. Filament. Linear, yellowish. Anther. Linear-oblong, 2-celled, yellow. Pollen. Elliptical, yellowish, minute grains. Pistil. Triplex, and triply compmnd. Ovary Oreen, 3-sided, 3-celled, persistent. Style. Club-shaped or davate, deciduous. Stigma. At top of the style, 3-lobed. FRIHT. An erect, compound capsule. Pericarp. Dry, opening by S-valres. Seeds. 3Iany, ovoid, with a curved point. LEAVES. 2, nearly opposite, mottled. Petiole. At the base of the leaf, linear. Blade. Ellijific-lanceolate, acute. Venation. Parallel. STEM. Mostly subterranean, blanched. Bulb. At the base, ovoid, lohite, of scales. Caulis, Simple, 6-10' long, annual. ROOT. Consisting of w?die fibers, deep doivn. LOCALITY.-Ds CLASSIFICATK NAME.-Englisl —Latin, 1 mp shady woods, (Date) April 10th, 1877. 3N.-Snbkingdom, PHEIVOGAMIA. -Province, ENDOGENS. —Order, The Lilyworts. 1, Dog-tooth Violet. lirythroiiiiim Americannm. TULIPA. 35 as we shall see hereafter (p. 257); hence the common name is false as well as inelegant. The term Dogtooth may refer to the two indentures on each petal (p. 32), or to its bulbs as they groAV in England. The scientilic or classic name is Erythrdnium (eruihros, red, the color it often assumes in Europe). The name of our species is E. America num. Scientific Terms Defined.— Acute. Alternating. Antber. Bulbous stem Calyx, Capsule. Carpels. Caulis. Corolla. Decid- uous. Endogens. Entire. Fibrils. Fibrous. Filament. Herb. Ovary. Ovoid. Parallel- veined. Peduncle. Perianth. Persistent. Petals. Petiole. Phenogamia. Pistil. Pollen. Recurved. Sepa)s. Solitary. Stamens. Stigma. Style, Torus. VI, THE TULIP. Description.— The tulip is said' to be a native of Mt. Taurus and the adjacent region. It has been cultivated by florists for more than three centuries in Europe, and one in America. It blossoms in the garden a week or two later than the wild Erythronium, with which it is closely related. Careful study will reveal between them striking differences as well as resemblances. Viewing the plant as a whole, mark its height, its glaucous (sea-green) * color, its smooth surface. Analysis. — The Leaf Region. — The bulb, if cut across will exhibit a series of concentric rings, each one being aiv entire layer. Bulbs so constructed are called tunicatecl,\ —Q, form familiar in the Onion. The Leaves are large * According to the Greek Mythology, Qlmtats wan the name of a fisherman who leaped into the sea and "hy transmutation strange" became a sea-god. Hence the botanists use the word to express the pale sea-green color of the foliage of certain plantp, as well as of the whitish powder which sometimes covers them. t The Lily grows from a scahj bulb, i. e., a bulb comjiosed of scales, each forming but a partial (not entire) layer or ring. In the heart of the Tuli]) bulb, protected by these layers, are hidden not only the future stem, but the leaves also, and even the coming flower with all its various organs. This bulb also contains under its outer 36 THE TULIP. and few, rarely more than 3. In margin, they agree with Erythronium except that they are wavy. In figure, they are partly lanceolate, and partly with the outline of an egg, being broadest just below the middle: hence they are ovate-lanceolsite. They have a clasping base and no petiole. Compare the venation with that of Erythronium (p. 31). The Flower Eegion. — Here note the attitude of the flower in contrast with that of Erythro- nium; but its organs are of the same number and kind.* The Sepals and -petals are distinguished only by their position. Which outer ? They are all ovate, blunt (obtuse) at the apex, concave, and not recurved nor spreading. The ovary and its re- sulting pod is in the form of a Gesiferiana; 2^s22 . , . n^^ n t' tiou of the bulb ; 3, triangular prism. The 3 stigmas thepistu. are the broadly coat two minute buds ready to be developed in turn to take the place of the parent (2). Thus, after flowering and fruiting, we 8hall find the bulb which we planted shriveled and empty, having imparted its substance to its offspring, but already replaced by another or two, full grown from the buds, and replete with rudiments like the former. So provident is Nature. " No leaf drops till a new one is prepared to take its place : no flower perishes naturally till its house is made ready and fur- nished with seeds. In Autumn, the sad season of decay, there is yet as much of life as of death." Amidst the tokens of death are the elements of growth. In the autumn buds of the Oak are hidden its future leaves ; in those of the Lilac, its com- ing leaves and flowers. In the bulb of the Hyacinth, another season's blossoms are clearly seen even with the naked eye. The rich mucilage of the Slippery Elm, and the sweet sap of the Sugar Maple, are provided beforehand for feeding the young buds and hastening their early development. Thus within a few days a large tree will cover itself with foliage and bloom. * The flower of the Tulip like that of the Rose (p. 114) is often double, in whicli state it is unfit for analysis. are quite distinct, sessile (sitting) on the ovary, there being no style. The Name is from a Persian word signifying a turban, whose guy colors it resembles. In Latin it becomes Tulipa. The Common Tulip, here figured, is T. Gesneriana, being dedicated to Gesner, a Swiss botanist, who saw it blooming in a garden in Augsburg and first made it public in 1559.* Yarieties. — This flower indulges in many freaks and fancies as to the cut and color of her robes. Now they are single, now double, and now semidouble. Here they are yellow, there white, and even crimson, purple or carmine. Again they are mixed — striped, spotted or flecked in endless combinations of colors. These are merely varieties of the same species, induced by their treatment in cultivation. Names are given them by the florists, rarely by botanists, such as Bizarres, Due Van Thol, Bubloones, Comte de Pom- padour, Parrotts, &c.t The Record. — With these few hints to guide, let the student now complete the analysis of the Tulip and write its record in the annexed tablet. Scientific Terms.— Clasping. Obtuse. Ovate. Scaly bulb. Sessile. Tunicated. Varieties. * The taste for cultivating the Tulip spread into the Netherlands, and about 1634 increased to such an extent that all classes began to speculate in the bulbs. Houses and lands were sold to be invested in flower.s. Ordinary business was neglected. Sudden fortunes were made. Nobles, mechanics and chimney-sweeps alike flocked to the tulip-market. Prices increased until a single bulb (the Semper Augustus) sold as high as .f r),000 of our i)rosent money. A story is told of an English botanist who. traveling in Holland, hai)pened to see a tulip-root in a conservatory. Ignorant of its value he began to jieel off its coats to examine its iieculiar structure. While im- mersed in his botanical is O CJ 02 03 ^ 1 ' i ^ g; ^ 1 CLAYTON"IA. 39 VII. THE SPRING BEAUTY. Description. — Early in S23ring, in the grassy meadow, along the shady margins of the woods, or under tangled thick- ets, often in company with the Dog-tooth Violet, lo ! the Spring Beauty! Its roots, like those of its neighbor, strike deep into the soil, and in order to lift the plant entire we must make careful use of the trowel. Viewed as a whole, the Spring Beauty in outline, surface, and substance, resem- bles the Dog-tooth Violet. It is also divisible into the same regions and parts. Analysis. — The Leaf Kegioi^. — The "Eoot is a new and singular structure. There is a massive body, irregularly rounded, brown without, white and starchy within. To this f liter,* as it is called, are attached the ordinary fibers and fibrils. These are the true working roots, absorbing plant- food from the ground, while the tuber serves as a reservoir for its reception after being digested and changed to starch. The Stem is a simple, slender column, a few inches in height. In substance, it is lierhaceous, that is, tender, juicy, flexible, greenish. In attitude, it is erect and upright; for, though weak, it stands unsupported. The Z^eaveS) 2 in number, grow opposite each other in the air and light at the top of the stem. In outline, they are narrowly lance-shaped, nearly as in the Pigeon-wheat, linear-lanceolate, or almost linear. They are fixed to the stem by their base without the intervention of a petiole; that is to say, they are sessile (sitting), while the upper end, the apex, as in all plants, h free ; their margin is entire, and color, green. The Flower Region. — The J^lon'er is a curious gem, * Botanists generally consider the tuber as a member of the stem. But to avoid subtle distinctions at this early stage, we here incline to the popular view regarding it as a member of the root. 40 THE SPRli^G BEAUTY. Fig. ^^l.— Claytonia Yirginica : 1, plan of the flower ; 2, a petal with a stamen opposite ; 3, 4, stamens, front and rear view ; 5, the pistil ; 6, ovary dissected ; 7, an ovule; 8, fruit just opening, with calyx ; 9, a seed ; 10, the embryo. inviting study, and losing none of its interest and loveliness by a close inspection. Let us first observe the situation and arrangement, or what the botanists call CtAYTOKIA. 41 The l7iJloresce7ice , The flowers form a cluster above the leaves at the termination of the stem. In the cluster appears {a to l) a general foot-stalk — the 'peduncle — support- ing the whole; an axis {b to c), called the racUis (spine) running through the midst ; and several special foot-stalks {d), pedicels, branching from the rachis, each bearing one flower. The whole cluster so arranged is a raceme.'^ The flowers do not all open at once, but in a regular succession, beginning with the lowest in the raceme and ending ynih. the highest. While the lower are in bloom or past bloom, the upper are in bud or just opening. The word centripetal f is used to express this special mode of inflorescence. The Slower is made up of four sets of organs, each set a circle one within another. First, the calyx or cup {c) con- taining all the rest. It consists of 2 green leaflets called sepals. Next within is the delicately colored corolla consist- ing of 5 rose-tinted and red-lined petals X (p)- Third, a circle of 5 stamens (s), each consisting of a slender filament (/) tipped with an oblong anther (h). We must not fail to observe their unusual situation — each opposite to (opposing) a petal (2). Observe also (3, 4) how the anther is attached to the filament, how its 2 cells open, and how it seems to face this way or that. Here it faces the pistil, and we say it is introrse ; and the cells open lengthioise. And fourth, the pistil (5) in the center of the flower, consists of one ovary, one style and three stigmas {g). If we dissect the ovary (6), * Sometimes in vigorous specimens the rachis divide>J, forming two racemes or a double raceme. t The top of the inflorescence is regarded as its center, the base the circumfer- ence; hence the fitness of the word (ccnf7'i/m, the center, pefo, I seek). t The colored converging lines and veins which mark the ])etals of Simncr Beauty, Pansy, Greranium and other flowers, sei-ve as honey-guides for insects. Tliey ir.va- riably converge towards the nectaries at the base of the petals and stamens. An insect following them is led directly to where thi- noney is secreted. On its way its body is dusted with pollen, or, already dusted, is brought into contact with a pistU ready to receive it. 4:2 THE SPRI2^G BEAUTY. we shall find within its cell 3 or G young seeds {ovules). Here also, as in the pistil of Erythronium, are clear indications of tri-unity. The F^?^it, While the ovary is growing and ripening into fruit, it is attended and protected by the persistent calyx (8); but the corolla, stamens and style are early decid- uous. The fruit is finally a dry seed-box or capsule (8), opening by 3 valves, and disclosing 3 or more black, sliining, lens-shaped seeds (9). The Seed, Here again we come to the ultimate product of the plant. The seed contains the curved embryo (10) — the young plant slumbering in its cradle. Surrounding it is a white mass of albumen'^ {alius, white), a storehouse of food provided for the sustenance of the young plant after awaking and before its roots can draw nourishment from the soil. Mark here the structure of the embryo (in con- trast with that of Erythronium), how it is curved, and cleft at the upper end into two equal seed-lobes, or cotyledons,\ ^lan of the J^lojper, — 'V\iQ diagram (1) indicates the relative position of the organs as they stand on the torus; first, the 2 sepals ; 2d, the 5 petals ; 3d, the 5 stamens oppos- ing the petals ; 4th, the ovary — 3 in 1. Why then is this flower unsymmetrical? Why is it 5-parted ? */^siivaHo7i, — This diagram also shows how the enve- lopes are folded in the bud, that is, their cestivation {(Bstivus, in summer) ; the buds themselves will show it much better. The margins do not exactly meet, but overlie each other like * By a wise provision, th^ albumen is deposited in the form of starch, which is insoluble in water, or else the first rain might dissolve and waste the young plant's inheritance. There is, however, laid up also in the seed a bit o^ ferment called gluten. By the action of moisture this will slowly change the starch to sugar ; and that being soluble can be used by the tiny shoot as it needs. (See Chemistry, pp. 1S4 and 194.) t The ovules in the cut 6 are growing erect from the base of the cell ; (7) shows an ovule more advanced, with its stalk (funiculus). Comparing this with (10), it is evident that the ovule in gro-wiug bent over on itself, bringing its apex near its base. CLAYTOJTIA. 43 shingles on a roof, i. c, are imlricated {imbrex, a tile).* A special mode of imbrication is seen in the petals, of which 2 are wholly within, 2 wholly without, and 1 is partly both, having one edge within and one without. This is the qui?i- cuncial aBstivation and very common. The Name, Glaijtbnia, was given by Linnaeus to this plant in honor of Jolm Clayton, who sent it to him, in 1757, from Virginia. Hence this species is called C. Virginica. Another species was first seen by Michaux, about 1800, in the mountains of N. Carolina and so named C. Caroliniana, But it is far more common northward from Xew England to Wisconsin. You may know it by its leaves being shorter and broader — elliptic-lanceolate. What other diSerences do you find ? The Order. — The Claytonias belong to the same order with the splendid flowering Portulacas, viz. Portulacace^, or the Purslanes. That troublesome weed of the gardens — the common Purslane, is also a species of the genus For- tuldca — P. olerdcea. Its small yellow flowers appear in Summer, and its curious seed-boxes in September. These open by a lid crosswise, and bear the classic name of pyxis (a box. Fig. XLIII, 5). In some countries Purslane is es- teemed as a pot-herb, and a salad, on account of its cooling antiscorbutic properties (Lindley). Classification. — In contrast with Erythronium, the genus Claytonia, and its order, by their S-lobed embryo^ and their floivers 5-parted {or at least not 3-parted), represent the ExoGENS, the other province of the Flowering Plants (p. 33). Scientific Terms.— Estivation. Albumen. Centripetal inflo- rescence. Herbaceous. Imbricated. Introrse. Opposing stamens. Pedicel. Pyxis. Quincuncial. Raceme. Racliis. Sessile. Tuber. * In other plants the sepals or petals may bo found to meet edge to edjj:e. Such aestivation is called valvate. Indeed the valves of the capsule of this plant thus meet While closed (8). See other modes of uistivation described in p. 85. u ANALYSIS OF SPRIN"G B:E:AtTTY. The Record. — With the following tablet as a guide, let the student record the analysis of our other Claytonia, or of Purslane, or a Portulaca, in the annexed blank tablet. Organs. DESCRIPTION. THE PLANT. An Jierb, terrestrial^ 3—6' high, fleshy, smooth. ROOT. Brown fibers with a roundish, starchy tuber. STEM. Herbaceous, simple, upright. LEAVES. 2, opposite, sessile, linear, or lance-linear, 3— 6' long. INFLORESCENCE. Terminal raceme, with long pedicels, centripetal. FLOWER. 5-parted, unsymmetrical, opposing, 8" diameter. Caltx. 2-parted, green. Sepals. Persistent, 2, erect, ovate, short. Corolla. 5-parted, delicately colored and pencilled. Petals. 5, deciduous, spreading, obovate, roseate. Stamens. 5, opposing the petals. Filament. Slender, white. Anther. Opening lengthwise, oblong, innate. Pistil— Ovary. Triple, ovoid, 6-ovuled, green. Style. Slender, green-white. Stigmas. 3, pink-colored. Fruit. Capsule, 3-sided, conical, inclosed in the calyx. Pericarp. Dry, 3-valved, 1-celled or partly 3-celled. Seeds. 3—6, lens-shaped, black, shining. LOCALITY.-Low, damp soil. (Date), April 2.5. CLASSIFICATION. -Subkingdom, FLOAVERING PLANTS. —Province, EXOGENS. -Order, Portulacace..e. NAME.— English, Spring Beauty. —Latin, Claytonia Virgiiiica. ANALYSIS OF 45 si CJ P s > C — H? 1— 1 p^ HH |i< O CC i7 p O -3 HO O 46 THE EARLY CROWFOOT. VIII. THE EARLY CROWFOOT. Description. — In May and June the fields are resjilen- dent with Buttercu2:)s. As early as April we find one kind, at least, gilding the rocky hills and woods. In this, and its portrait, root, stems, leaves, ^ flowers, stalks, and fruit are present. Analysis. — The ^oot is a bundle {fas- cicle) of fibers, some of which are thickened, fleshy, almost tuber- ous ; we call such roots fasciculate. They are strong and d u r a b 1 e. They haye sur- yiyed the frosts ]'m //ll ^1 ) ' *«^"' and if you . ^ _^ / J fi\'i \iiiiii„„.ji have considered the Crowfoot plant from year to year,- you have learned that it is a 'perennial lierh. Although the parts above ground perish in Autumn, the root still lives and sends up another plant in the following Spring, and so on for many seasons. The symbol adopted for such an herb is 7i. The Stem (or stems, for there may be several arising from the same root) is green and herbaceous, branching, hairy, 6-10' high, and ending in the flower-stalks. Fig. Vni.— Ranunculus fascicularis : 3, a head of car- pels ; 4, a single carpel ; 5, the seed in the achenium ; 6, seed dissected, showing the embryo in albumen. RANUNCULUS. 47 The Leaves arc many. Most of them are radical, arising with the stem from the root (radix); others are cauline, groAving from the stem (caulis) above the base. They are also alternate in arrangement — one above another, spirally (p. 193). The lower leaves are borne on long, ^\em\QY petioles ; the upper are sessile, having no petiole. The blades are ternately divided, i. e., into three divisions, or pinnately into five, and the terminal division is stalked ; then all tne divisions are cut into lobes. The Tei?is, although present, are not always discernible. In Spring Beauty they are concealed. In Crowfoot they are not conspicuous, yet evidently are not parallel, as in Ery- thronium. Under a magnifier they seem to form a net- work ; that is, they are reticulated {rcticula, a net). The ^i07t^ers are borne on peduncles, which terminate the stem and branches — one on each peduncle. They are perfect and complete, having all the proper and essential floral organs.* The calyx consists of five lanceolate, green- ish, spreading sepals, much smaller than the petals. The corolla consists of five yellow, shining, spreading petals. In outline the petals are inversely lanceolate or ovate (oZ'-lance- olate or oJ-ovate), being broadest above the middle. At the base there is a honey-pore, which w^e may call a nectary, covered by a little scale (Fig. IX, 2). The stamens are many in number — said to be indefinite (denoted thus, oo), although, if carefully counted, they will generally be found some multi- ple of 5; as 25, 30, etc. The ievm i^olyandrous {polys.manj, andres, stamens) is of a similar meaning. The filament, anther, and pollen we leave to be identified by the studeu t. * A flower is hotamcdWY perfect when it has both stamens and pistils. The sym- bol is 5 . It is complete when it has stamcMis. pistils, calyx and corolla— all tht» proper organs. A flowor is apefalous when Ihe calyx is present wifliout the corolla ; it is Ktayninate {6) when having stamens without pistils, f\xid jnstiUate («) pistils without stamens. 48 THE EABLY CROWFOOT. Notice how the stamens stand directly on the torus, neither ad-hevrng to any other member, nor co-hering among them- selves. They are hi/pogynous {hyjm, under, gyyie, the pistil). This character is of great significance. * (Fig. VIII, 9.) The pistils are also numerous, twenty or more, generally some multiple of 5. Their form and structure are remarkable— one-sided (5), consisting each of an ovary tipjDed with a sessile stigma, without a style. The J^riiit. In a few days the ^ work of the yellow buttercup is '^ flower of r. fasdcui^ris. done. Bees and other insects have drained its nectaries and scattered its pollen. The sepals, petals and stamens fade and fall. These are the deciduous parts. But the pistils still persist, attached to the torus, growing and forming a round- ish head (4) of as many little fruits (carpels) as there were pistils. Let us dissect one of these carpels (6). It holds just one seed in one cell. It is an aclienmm — a simple fruit formed of one carpel (not of three, as in Erythronium). In the figure is represented a section of the seed, showing a small embryo with two cotyledons, imbedded in albumen. Here is work for the microscope. The Name. — There are many kinds of Buttercup- Crowfoots. Some of them delight in ponds and sluggish streams, with the frogs for their companions. For this rea- son, Linnaeus named them all Ranunculus (a little frog). Ranunculus is therefore the name of a group of similar forms, = a Genus, including all sorts and kinds of Butter- cup-Crowfoots. The specific form here figured and de- scribed, known at sight by its early date,t showy flowers, * On account of their hypogynous stamens, and the entire freedom or distinctness of all their floral organs, botanists have assigned the Buttercups and their order to the highest rank in the Vegetable Kingdom. t There is no danger of confounding this species with that other one vhich also RAKUNCULUS. 49 ANALYSIS OF EAKLY BUTTERCUP. ORGAN. (Its) Life, Habit, Number, Place, Kind, Construction, Form, Si/c, Qualities of color, surface, taste, »fcc.,and Apijcndagcs. THE PLANT. n damp shades. 1 foot high. Hairy. Root. u fasciculate, fibers white, long, some of them thickened. Stem. Herbaceous, branching, caulis hollow, diffuse. Leaves. Deciduous, alternate, pinnately divided, netted, petiolate. Inflorescence. Terminal, erect, solitary, j)eduncle 1-6', terete. Flowek. 5-parted, complete, regular, V broad. Calyx. Spreading, greenish-yeUow. Sepals. 5, deciduous, lanceolate, distinct, irnbricate. Corolla. Rosaceous, shining golden-yellow. Petals. 5, deciduous, oblanceolate, scale and honey-pore at base. Stamens. 30-UO, hypogynous, with slender filaments. Anthers. Oblong, ^-celled, yeUow, dehiscing lengthwise. Pistils. 30-30, distinct, style very short or none. 0\ary. Obliquely ovate, lens-shaped, green. Stigma. Sessile, terminal, a little curved. Fruit. 20-30, distbict, achenia, in a roundish head. Seed. One in each carpel or achenium. LOCALITY— TFoorfcetalous, with an involucre of 3 ovate bracts. Calyx. Corolla-like^ light blue or purple. Sepals. 6—9, oblong or obovate. Corolla. Wanting. Petals. Wanting. Stamens. 00 , hypogynous, white, filaments slender. Anthers. Oblong, 2-celled. Pistils. 00, green, hairy. Ovary. Oblong, distinct, simjile. Stigma. Nearly sessile, acute, style none. Fruit. 13 or mo7'e oblong achenia hairy at top. Seed. One in each carpd. LOCALITY.— 7)ry wooiU. (Date), AprU 10, 1877. CLASSIFICATION.-PHENOGAMIA, EXOGENS. Orcler, RANUNCULACE^. Name, Hepatica aciitilolia. 58 THE RUE ANEMOKE. the absolute freedom or distinctness of all its organs, and the structure of the stamens, pistils and fruit. It must therefore be included in the same Tribe or Order, viz., Eanunculaceae, or the Crowfoots. Scientific Terms. — xicaulescent. Apetalous. Bracts. Caules- cent. Coriaceous. Evergreen. Involucre. Palmi-veined. Scape Trilobate. Veinlets. Veins. Veinulets. XI. THE RUE ANEMONE. Description. — In April and May the woods, while yet leafless, are aglow with Anemones. The species portrayed in Fig. XI continues long in bloom, developing its pure white flowers in succession until a full cluster is displayed. Analysis. — The ^oot is similar to that of Claytonia (p. 39), but instead of one there are usually 2 or 3 tubers of an oblong form, with fibrous roots attached. As to its life or duration, it would seem to be perennial ( ^ ). The Stem — its life, habit of posture and branching, its form and dimensions (size) may be considered and noted by the student. The Leaves are compound, and will furnish the iDrincii^al topic in this analysis. There is one radical leaf and 2 or 3 cauline. The former is also petiolate. The petiole divides at the top into 3 branches ( intiolules) and these again into 3s — 9 in all, each bearing a leaflet. It is therefore twice ter- nate or Uternate. The cauline leaves are situated at the top of the stem (i)iv). Apparently there are 6 or 9 simple, pet- iolate leaves in a whorl. But the petioles are joined at the base into sets — 3 in each set. Hence we conclude that there are 2 or 3 ternate or trifoliate, sessile leaves. The leaflets are all similar, oval, 3-lobed at the end. Not unfrequently the radical leaves are thrice 3-parted, bearing 27 leaflets. They then become triternate. THE RUE ANEMONE. 59 The IfiJloreSCe7ice is terminal. The leaves around it may be regarded as forming its involucre. Several pedicels, each bearing a flower, arise from a common point in the midst of the leaves. Such an arrangement is called an umhel {umhella, a little shadow), and the pedicels are the rays of the umbel. The I^lo7pe7'S re- peat the apetalous habit of Hepatica. There is a single whorl of envelopes — the calyx, composed of 5 to 10 distinct, elliptical sepals of dazzling white. There is a crowd of stamens, with side-opening an- thers, perfectly dis- tinct and free; and in their midst appear the 6-10 distinct pis- tils. The close ob- server will miss the nectaries.* Neither Fig. XI —Anemone thalictroides : 1, a stamen 2, section of flower ; 3, fruit. * The Ranunculacere offer very remarkable differences in the manner of their adaptation to insects. Honey is secreted by the petals in Ranunculns, Hellebore. Larkspur and Columbine ; by the sepals in certain Pseonies, by the stamens in Pulsa- tilla, and by the ovaries in Coyvslip, while it is entirely absent in Anemone, Hei)atica. and Thalictrum. The flower is made conspicuous by the corolla in Ranunculus, by the calyx in Auemoue, by both in Larkspur, and by the stamens in Thalictrum. The <50 AI^EMONE. honey scales, nor glands, nor spurs are to be found in this flower, which is regular, cq^talous, polyandrous, and hypogyjious. The J^rint. After the sepals and stamens have perished, the green pistils still persist and ripen into a head of distinct achenia which are singularly grooved and fluted. XII. THE WOOD ANEMONE. '"''The coy Anetnotie that ne'er uncloses Her lips until they're blow7i on by the Wind." Description. — The Wind Flower, as it is frequently called, abounds in hilly woods and often in company with the Rue Anemone. It is a smaller plant, always one-flow- ered, and about 5' high while the latter may be 9'. Analysis. — In the !Eootv^Q have a new feature. It is a slender creeper, a little fleshy, growing just beneath the surface of the soil. It is called the root-stock, or more accurately the rhizome. From its joints fibers grow down- ward and stems upward. The Stem, slender but firm and erect, bears at the top 3 compound leaves forming, as it were, an involucre around the one large flower. There is often, also, a radical leaf of the same form. All are petiolate, palmately compound, and their 3 (rarely 5) leaflets wedge-shaped {cuneate) at the base, cut into lobes and teeth above. They are acrid to the taste like the herbage of the Buttercup. Sheep and goats will eat them, however, while they are refused by cattle and swine. honey is easily accessible in Ranunculus to all kinds of insects, yet the flower can dispense with their services and fertilize itself ; while in Larkspur, where insect aid is indispensable, the honey is stowed away in the end of deep spurs, and accessible to bees only. The stigmas are not matured until after their own stamens have shed their pollen ; then they put themselves in the way of the bees, to be dusted with pol- len from other flowers. ANEMONE. 61 The InJlo7^escence is solitary. The one large flower is near of kin to the foregoing. It is apetalous. Its 4 — 7 sepals are oval in out- line, white and more or less tinged with pur- ple. The stamens and pistils will also be iden- tified and defined by the student. AVhy are they indefinite? Which hypogynous ? The I'ruU, Is it compound, or simple ? Of what kind? How many seeds in each little fruit or carpel? The 1^2imQ.—Ane- monej^ the generic ti- tle, comes from the Gr. animos, wind. It was adopted by Linnaeus from the idea then prevalent that its flow- ers open only when the wind is blowing. The specific name of the Kue Anemone is A. thalictro^tdes, so called for its resem- blance to Thalictrum, the Meadow Rucf Of the Wood Pig. XTI.— AnemSnc nemordsa : 1, a head of ripe carpels; ; 2, a (