RANUNCULACE. XII. Myosvurvs. 
XII. MYOSU'RUS (pve, mys, a mouse, and ovpa, oura, a tail. 
The seeds are seated upon a long receptacle, which looks exactly 
like the tail of a mouse). Dill. geiss. p. 106. t. 4. Lin. gen. 
No. 394. D.C. syst. 1. p. 229. prod. 1. p. 25. 
p 354. t.4. Juss. gen. 233. Lam. ill. t. 221. 
Lin. syst. Pentandria Polygynia. Calyx of 5-sepals ; sepals 
loosened at the base or drawn out downward beyond their inser- 
tion. Petals 5, with a filiform tubular claw. Stamens 5-20. 
Cariopsides numerous, triquetrous, very much crowded on a long 
receptacle, each pointed with the straight style. Small annual 
plants with linear entire leaves, and small yellow flowers. Scapes 
1-flowered. 
1 My. minimus (Lin. spec. 407.) scape nearly equal in length 
with the leaves, or longer; appendages of calyx somewhat leafy, 
©. H. Native throughout Europe in exposed muddy situations. 
and in fields where it has been inundated in the winter. Fl. dan. 
t. 406. Curt. fl. lond. t. 151. Smith, eng. bot. Schkuhr. handb. 
t. 88. Scapes shorter or longer than the leaves, 3-8, rising 
from the same root. Sepals and petals equal in number. 
Least Mouse-tail. Fl. April, June. Britain. Pl. 1-2 inches. 
2 My. suo’rrt (Raf. in Sill. amer. jour. sc. 1819. vol. 1. No. 
4. p. 379.) scapes shorter than the leaves ; appendages of calyx 
membranous. ©. H. Native of North America about Hopkin’s 
Town, West Kentucky. Perhaps a variety of the first. 
Short’s Mouse-tail. FI. April, June. Pl. 1 inch, 
Cult. The species of Myosurus only require to be sown in 
the open ground in a moist situation, where they should afterwards 
be allowed to sow themselves. 
XIII. CERATOCE’'PHALUS (from kepac, keras, a horn, 
and kepadn, kephale, a head, on account of the horn ends of the 
seeds in the heads of the capsules) Moench. meth. p. 218. D. C. 
syst. 1. p. 230. prod. 1. p- 26, but not of Vaill. 
Lin. syst. Penténdria Polygy'nia. Calyx of 5 permanent sepals. 
Petals unguiculate. Stamens 5-15. Carpels numerous, attach- 
ed to a long receptacle, with a gibbosity on both sides at the base, 
and drawn out at top into a long flat horn, which is 6-times 
longer than the seed. Seeds 4-sided, with an erect embryo. 
Small annual herbs, with 1-flowered scapes, yellow flowers, and 
faves many-parted into linear lobes. . 
Cer. ratca‘rus (Pers. ench. 1. p- 341.) horns of carpels fal- 
cate, somewhat ascending. ©. H. Native of Spain, south of 
rance, Italy, Hungary, Austria, Argolis, Arcadia, and about 
amascus, &c. in corn-fields. Ranúnculus faleatus, Lin. spe. 781. 
acq. fl. aust. t. 48; Ranunculus testiculdtus. Crantz. aust. 2. 
P. 97. Ceratocéphala spicata, Moench. meth. 218. Herb nearly 
smooth, but downy in hot exposed situations. 
; Falcate-horned Ceratocephalus. Fl. May. Clt. 1739. Pl. 1 to 
Inches, . 
stra OER, ORTHÓCERAS (D. C. syst. 1. p. 231.) horns of pericarps 
uneviti - ©.H. Native of Tauria and the south of Siberia in 
fie Bien fields. Deless. icon. sel. 1. t. 23. Ranunculus falca- 
rom C fil. cauc. 2. p. 29, exclusive of the synonyme. Differing 
being ¢ » falcàtus, in being a little smaller, and in the pericarps 
of ae onstantly clothed with white wool, as well as in the horns 
pericarp being straight, not falcate. 
Cult E prorned Ceratocephalus. Fl. May. Clt. 1823. Pl. Linch. 
worth “a They only require to be sown in the open ground. Not 
cultivating unless in the gardens of the curious. 
there RANU'NCULUS (from rana, a frog, because most of 
cu and G inhabit humid places frequented by that reptile ; Ranun- 
Tpaye renouillette, Fr.; Ranunkel, Germ. ; Ranuncole, Ital. ; 
the ee Gre. ; Crowfoot in English, in allusion to the form of 
e 
voa of many of the species,) C. Bauh. pin. 180; Pers. 
Geert. fr. 1. 
XIII. Ceratocernarus. XIV. Ranuncutvs. 25 
ench. 2. p. 102; Geert. fruct. 1. p. 353. t. 74. 
Lin. gen. No. 699. 
Lin. syst. Polydndria, Polygýnia. Calyx of 5 deciduous 
sepals (f. 9. a.) which are not loosened at the base. Petals 5, 
rarely 8 (f. 9. b.) 10, furnished with a nectariferous scale on the 
inside at the base (f. 9.c.). Stamens numerous. Cariopsides 
numerous, ovate, somewhat compressed ending in a point or 
horn, which is scarcely ever longer than the seed, (f. 9. d.) 
smooth striated or tubercled (f. 9. e.), disposed into globose or 
cylindrical heads (f. 9. e. d.). Annual or perennial herbs, with 
entire, toothed, or multifid leaves (f. 9.), and white, yellow, or 
purple, scentless flowers. The recent herb is acrid, applied to 
the skin occasions blisters, but taken inwardly poisonous. 
Ranuneuli spe. 
Sect. 1.—Barra‘cuium (Barpaxwor, batrachion,a frog; because 
the plants grow in water frequented by that reptile for the pur- 
pose of depositing their spawn ;) D. C. syst. 1. p. 232. prod. 1. p. 
26. Pericarps transversely rugoso-striated. Petals white, marked 
with a yellow hollow nectariferous claw. Water plants. 
1 R. HEDERA`cEUS (Lin. spe. 781.) stem creeping; leaves 
reniform, usually 3 or 5-lobed ; lobes broad, entire, very blunt ; 
petals oblong, scarcely longer than the calyx ; stamens 5-12 ; 
carpels smooth. Y. H. W. Native throughout Western Eu- 
rope, in springs, fountains, running waters, and inundated places ; 
especially in Iceland, Britain, north and west of France, Spain, 
Portugal, Algiers, and in North America from the United States 
to the Arctic sea. Smith, eng. bot. 2003. Curt. fl. lond. 
Haynes, pl. euro. 106. R. hederaceus, var. a. Thor. chl. 
land, 242. Schlecht. anim. ran. 1. p.7. R. hederzefolius, Sal. 
prod. 572. 
Ivy-leaved Crowfoot. Fl. May, Aug. Britain. Pl. aq. 
2 R. sANICULÆFÒLIUS (Viv. ex. Spreng. syst. 2. p. 645.) 
stem floating, and rooting; leaves kidney-shaped, bluntly 5- 
lobed, crenated ; petioles naked at the base ; peduncles equal in 
length to the leaves ; petals 3-times longer than the calyx. Y. H. 
W. Native of the north of Africa. 
Sanicula-leaved Crowfoot. Fl. May, Aug. PI. fit. 
3 R. rrieartitus (D. C. icon. gal. rar. 1. p. 15. t. 49.) stem 
floating, submersed leaves capillaceously-multifid, emersed ones 
8-parted ; lobes cuneated, toothed at top; carpels smooth. XY. 
H. W. Native of the west of France, Britain, in springs and 
inundated places. An intermediate species between R. hedera- 
ceus and R. aquatilis. 
Var. á, micrdnthus (D. C. 1. ¢.), petals oblong acutish, length 
of calyx; R. tripartitus, D. C. icon. gal. rar. 1. p. 15. t. 49. 
R. hederaceus, var. 3, Thor. chl. land. 242. 
Var. B, obtusiflorus (D. C. 1. c.) petals, obovate obtuse, longer 
than the calyx. Water Crowfoot, Pet. engl. herb. t. 39. f. 1. 
Three-parted-leaved Crowfoot. Fl. May, Aug. Britain. Pl. fit. 
4 R. aqua’tiuis (Lin. spe. 781.) stems floating ; submersed 
leaves capillaceously-multifid, emersed ones 3-parted; lobes 
wedge-shaped, toothed at top; petals obovate, larger than calyx; 
carpels hispid, with stiff bristles. X4. H. W. Native through- 
out Europe, Western Asia, North Africa, and also in North 
America, in pools and stagnant waters, in plains and low moun- 
tains. Smith. eng. bot. 101; Bir. ran. 32. t. 1. f. 18 and 27. 
This plant sometimes produces very large flowers, and makes 
a handsome show in ponds and ditches; the curious variety in 
the floating and immersed leaves adds to the beauty of this com- 
mon aquatic plant. Dr. Pulteney (Linn. soc. trans. 5. p. 19.) 
contradicts the assertions of its deleterious qualities, and proves 
that itis not merely innoxious, but nutritive to cattle, and capable 
of being converted to useful purposes in agricultural economy. 
In the neighbourhood of Kingswood, on the borders of the Avon, 
some of the cottagers support their cows, and even horses, almost 
wholly by this plant. A man collects a quantity every morning, 
E 
