6 RANUNCULACEE (Harv.) [ Ranunculus. 
very numerous, capitate, dry, one-seeded, mucronate, or horned. Seed 
erect. DC. Prod. 1. p. 26. 
Annual or perennial herbs, stemless or caulescent, with alternate, multifid or 
entire leaves, and yellow or white, rarely red or purple flowers. Inflorescence 
various. An immense genus, found in all parts of the world, but most abundant 
in the Northern Hemisphere, where they cover the fields, in the low lands, or 
ascend to the snow line of the loftiest mountains, or migrate to the shores of the 
Polar Sea. Several are water plants, either erect or floating, and most others grow 
in moist spots. Few occur within the tropics, and then, chiefly on high mountaims. 
The Cape species are mere weeds, One of them (R. pinnatus) called “ Kanker- 
blaren” is a colonial remedy for cancerous sores, A naturalized species (2. scelera- 
tus) sometimes found about towns in wet ditches in spring, has still more active 
qualities, its juice rapidly blistering the skin, and forming a sore difficult to heal. 
The generic name Ranunculus, is formed from Rana, a frog ; because many of the 
species are amphibious. 
1. R. aquatilis (Linn.) ; submerged and floating ; the submersed 
leaves multipartite, with narrow-linear, repeatedly forked segments ; 
the floating leaves (when present) reniform, trifid or tripartite, their 
segments cuneate and crenate ; flowers, white; fruits transversely 
wrinkled, minutely pubescent ; receptacle hispid. DC. Prod. 1.p. 26. 
E.& Z.! No.12. Drege, 7605! E. Bot. t. 101. & R. fluitans, t.2870! 
R. rigidus, Godr. Flora, 24. p. 174. : 
Has. In rivers, lakes, ponds, and ditches. Swellendam & Graaf Reynet, 
E.& Z./ Kraairivier, Drege/ (Herb. T.C.D., Hook., Sond.) a 
When growing in ponds or in gently flowing rivers, this plant has both floating 
and submersed leaves; in rapid streams only the latter. Several pseudo-species 
have been made in Europe from varieties of this common plant, which, under one 
formor other, is found throughout Europe, Temperate Asia, N. America, Abys- 
sinia and Algeria, and in Australia. 
» 2. R. pinnatus (Poir. Dict. 6. p. 126); tall, branching, villous ; 
+s ae \, radical leaves pinnately or bi-pinnately cut, hairy, with broadly wedge- 
som “4 fys shaped, trifid or laciniate segments ; stem-leaves three-parted, the 
: upper ones simple ; flowers panicled ; sepals reflexed ; fruits obovate, 
compressed ; margined, minutely tuberculed on the disc, with a short 
beak. DC. Prod. 1. p. 42. R. pubescens, Thunb. Cap. p. 443. Eck. & 
Zey. | No. 14. 
Has. In moist grassy places, Near Capetown, W. H. H. Uitenhage, Zeyher / 
Drege ! Albany, 7. Williamson. (Herb. T.C.D., Hook., Sond.) 
Root fibrous. Radical leaves numerous, on long petioles, either 3 parted with the 
middle lobe petiolate, or pinnate, 2 pairs and an odd one, or sub-bipinnate, always 
hairy. Stems diffuse, cymoso-paniculate. Carpels sometimes nearly smooth. 
3. RB. plebeius (R. Br.) ; tall, branching, villous ; radical leaves on 
long petioles ternately cut, with sessile or petiolate 3~5-fid, toothed and 
laciniate segments ; stem-leaves similar, the upper ones sessile, trifid or 
simple ; flowers panicled, on furrowed peduncles ; sepals reflexed ; 
petals 5, obovate ; fruits obovate, compressed, margined, quite smooth, 
with a short hooked beak ; receptacle hairy, DC. Prod. 1. p. 39. Hook. 
Fl. Nov. Zeal. 1. p. 9. | = | 
Has. Southern slopes of the Schneeberg os (Herb. Hook., Sond.) 
~_ Nearly (we fear too nearly) related to the aes from which it is chiefly 
at its perfectly smooth fruits. It is a native also of Australia and New 
