RANUNCULACE. XVII. Ficarra. 
the plants are of sufficient size they may be planted out in a 
moist or boggy situation, where they will probably ripen their 
seeds. 
XVII. FICA’RIA (from ficus, a fig, so named, because the 
grumose roots bear tubercles resembling little figs,) Dill. nov. 
gen. p. 108. t. 5. D. C. syst. 1. p. 304. prod. 44. 
Lin. syst. Polyandria, Polygynia. Calyx of 3-sepals, soon 
falling off. Petals 9, foveolate on the inside at the base. Sta- 
mens and ovaries numerous. Carpels smooth, compressed, blunt. 
Smooth perennial herbs with yellow flowers. Petals 8 to 12. 
1 F. ranuxcuroives (Mcench. meth. 215.) roots grumose ; 
stem leafy ; leaves cordate ; sepals 3. 2.H. Native through- 
out the whole of Europe, in meadows, bushy places, and about 
hedge banks. Plentiful in Britain. Rantnculus Ficaria, Lin. spec. 
774. Smith, engl. bot. t. 584. Curt. lond. fasc. 2. t. 39. Mart. 
rust. t. 21. Fl. dan. 499. F. vérna, Huds. 244. D. C. syst. 1. 
p. 304. Flowers golden yellow. The young leaves of this plant, 
according to Linnzeus, are sometimes used as greens in Sweden. 
The particular form of the roots probably recommended this 
plant as a cure for the piles, hence its English name Pilewort. 
These roots or tubercles lie near the surface, and are sometimes 
laid bare by the rains, and in this state have induced the ignorant, 
under the influence of superstition, to fancy that it rained wheat, 
which the tubercles somewhat resemble. The plant is injurious 
In moist grass lands, but is effectually destroyed by a dressing 
of coal or wood ashes. We usually find the flower closed from 
five in the evening to nine in the morning, and in wet weather. 
Var. B, multiplex ; flowers double yellow. 
Cronfoot-like Pile-wort or Lesser Celandine. Fl. April. Bri- 
tan. Pl. ` to 4 foot. 
2 F. evacta‘1s (Fisch. in litt. icon.) roots fibrous, fascicled ; 
leaves ovate ; scapes naked, 1-flowered; sepals 5. YY. H. 
Native of Dauria on the top of Mount Tchockondo. Caltha 
glacialis, Spreng. syst. 2. p. 660. Stamens and ovaries nume- 
rous, about the length of the calyx. Fruit unknown. Having 
the petals of Ficaria, but differing in the calyx being of 5 leaves. 
Habit of Caltha appendiculdta, D. C. syst. 1. p. 305. 
Icy Pilewort. Fl. April? Pl. 4 foot. 
„Cult. Ficaria will thrive well in any common garden soil, and 
mal succeed best under the shade of trees. The double variety 
of F. Ranunculoides is a very desirable plant. They are easily 
creased by separating the tubers of the roots in the autumn. 
Tribe IV. 
: HELLEBOREE (plants agreeing with Helléborus,) D. C. 
cated . P. 306. prod. 1. p. 44. Calyx and corolla imbri- 
someti m the bud (f. 14. a.) Petals sometimes wanting (f. 10. a.) 
r] Imes irregular, bilabiate, nectariferous (f. 11. e. f. 12. b.) 
o yx of 5 petal-like sepals (f. 11. b. f. 12. a.) Carpels capsular, 
Pening on the inside (f. 11. c. f. 12. c.) many-seeded. 
_ XVII. 
m allusion 
gold 
1. p. 
Lix. svgr. Polyándri ; 
bi Yt. Polyandria, Polyginia. 
ume, Pétal-like sepals (f. yey a.) Petals wanting; stamens 
Pressed. (f. 10. b.) Ovaries 5 to 10. Capsules 5 to 10 com- 
very sm “preading, l-celled, many-seeded. Herbs perennial, 
their juice. ', somewhat acrid. Flowers golden coloured, and 
Owers, e gives a yellow colour to butter. C. ndtans has white 
es English name of the genus Marsh Marigold is given to 
it because the . . 
r h Species inhabit humid places, and in the flowers 
“sembling those of the Marigold. © > aa 
CA/LTHA (a syncope of cadaSoc, kalathos, a goblet, 
to the form of the corolla, which may be likened toa 
raw Pers. ench. 2. p. 107. D. C. syst. 1. p. 306. prod. 
Calyx coloured, of 5 or- 
XVIII. CartHA. 43 
Secr. I. psycuropnita (Yuypoc, psychros, cold, and pew, 
phileo, to love ; inhabitants of cold countries,) D. C. syst. 1. p. 
307. prod. 1. p. 44. Calyx permanent. Scapes 1-flowered. 
Radical leaves halbert-shaped, with the appendages rising up- 
wards. 
1 C. appenpicuta‘ta (Pers. 
ench. 2. p. 107.) scape 1-flowered, 
very short; leaves trifid; wedge- 
shaped ; sepals 5; pistils 8. Y. 
H. W. Native on humid moun- 
tains in the Straits of Magellan, 
and on subalpine hills in Terra 
del Fuego. C. paradoxa, Sol. 
mss. Forst. Lin. soc. trans. 8. p. 
34. Two lateral lobes of leaves 
elevated in the form of appendages. 
Scapes length of leaves. Sepals 
oblong-lanceolate marcescent (f. 
10.) 
A ppendiculate-leaved Marsh 
Marigold. Pl. 4 foot. 
2 C. sacirta‘ra (Cav. icon. 5. no. 456. t. 414.) scape 1- 
flowered; leaves halbert-shaped, auricled; auricles inflexed ; 
sepals 9-10; pistils 25. .F. W. Native at Port Egmont, in 
one of the Falkland islands, and in rivulets at Success Bay in 
South America. C. multicapsularis, Sol. mss, Forst. Lin. 
soc. trans. 8. p. 324. Flowers yellow. Stamens one-half shorter 
than the ovate blunt sepals. 
Halbert-leaved Marsh Marigold. PI. 4 foot. 
3 C.Kamrscua’tica (Spreng. syst. 2. p. 666.) scape 1-flower- 
ed ; leaves ovate, quite entire, somewhat 3-nerved ; outer sepals 
5, inner ones deciduous ; carpels 1-seeded. %. H. Native of 
Kamtschatka. R. Kamchaticus, D. C. syst. 1. p. 43. prod. 1. 
p- 48. Flowers yellow. Perhaps Ficària glacialis will prove 
to be a species of Caltha. 
Kamtschatka Marsh Marigold. PI. 4 foot. 
FIG. 10. 
Secr. II. Poruta‘co (from populus, the poplar-tree, in allu- 
sion to the species growing in humid places among poplar-trees, 
or perhaps from the shape of the leaves, which they some- 
what resemble.) Tourn. inst. 273. t. 145. D. C. syst. 1. p. 308. 
prod. 1. p. 44.—Caltha, Lin. gen. no. 703. Calyx deciduous. 
Stems leafy. Leaves cordate or kidney-shaped, with the auricles 
not inflexed. 
4 C. pazu’srris (Lin. spec. 784.) stem erect; leaves cordate, 
somewhat orbicular, roundly-crenate, with rounded auricles. 
4. H. W. Native almost throughout the whole of Europe, as 
well as of Western Asia and North America, in marshy meadows, 
and about the margins of ponds, rivers, and brooks. Fl. dan. 
668. Smith, engl. bot. 506. Curt. lond. fase. 1. t. 40. Stems 
dichotomous ; peduncles furrowed. Flowers large golden-co- 
loured, and if gathered before they expand are said to be a good 
substitute for capers. The juice of the petals boiled with alum 
stains paper yellow. Cows will not eat it, unless compelled by 
extreme hunger; it is therefore a vulgar notion wholly unfounded, 
that the yellowness of butter in the spring 18 caused by this 
plant. Boerhaave says, that when kine eat the plant it occasions 
such an inflammation, that they generally die. 
Var. B, multiplex ; flowers double. Y. H.W. Cultivated 
in gardens. 
m Var. y, minor (Mill. dict. no. 2.) stem generally 1-flowered, 
ascending. %. H. Native of the north of England and Scot- 
land on the tops of mountains, in marshy places. This plant in 
a wild state does not exceed in size the Ficaria ranunculoides, 
but when cultivated it grows to the size of C. radicans, bearing 
G2 
