Tribe III. Anemoneae, are chiefly north temperate, arctic and alpine plants, hut also pass beyond the tropics to the southern hemisphere. They differ from the two preceding tribes in the numerous carpels, each with only one ovule, forming a fruit of numerous achenes. They are annual or perennial herbs, erect as in Anemone, Thalictrum (meadow-rue) and many buttercups, or creeping as in Ranunculus repens; the section Batrachium of the genius Ranunculus (q.v.) contains aquatic plants with submerged or floating stems and leaves. The flowers are solitary, as in Ane mone Pulsatilla (Pasque flower), or cymose as in species of Ranun culus, or in racemes or panicles as in Thalictrum. The parts are spirally arranged throughout as in Myosurus (mouse-tail), where the very numerous carpels are borne on a much elongated recep tacle, Adonis (pheasant's eye), or the perianth is whorled as in Anemone and Ranunculus. In Anemone and Thalictrum there is only one series of perianth leaves, which are petaloid and attrac tive in Anemone where honey is secreted by modified stamens, as in A. Pulsatilla, or, as in A. nemorosa (wood anemone), there is no honey and the flower is visited by insects for the sake of the pollen ; in Tlzalictrum the perianth is greenish or slightly coloured, and the flower is wind-pollinated (T. minus) or visited for its pol
len. In Ranunculus and Adonis a calyx of green protective sepals is succeeded by a corolla of showy petals; in Ranunculus there is a basal honey-secreting gland which is absent in Adonis. In Anemone the achenes bear the persistent naked or bearded style which aids in dissemination; the same purpose is served by the prickles on the achenes of Ranunculus arvensis. Clematis (q.v.), is characterized by its shrubby, often climbing habit, opposite leaves and the valvate, not imbricate as in the other tribes, aestiva tion of the sepals. The usually four sepals are whorled and petaloid, the numerous stamens and carpels are spirally arranged; the flowers are visited by insects for the sake of the abundant pollen. The fruit consists of numerous achenes which are generally prolonged into the long feathery style, whence the popular name of the British species, old man's beard (Clematis vitalba).
Special articles will be found on the more important genera of Ranunculaceae, e.g., ACONITE, ADONIS, ANEMONE, BANEBERRY (Ac taea) , CLEMATIS, COLUMBINE, HELLEBORE, RANUNCULUS. For further details see Engler and K. Prantl, Die natiirlichen Pflanzenfamilien (Leipzig, 1887-1908) ; A. B. Rendle, Classification of Flowering Plants (Cambridge, 1925).