CROWFOOT FAMILY. 37 



high ; stem-leaves not raised on a general petiole ; flowers greenish and pur- 

 plish; anthers short-linear, drooping on capillary and upwardly rather thickened 

 filaments. 



T. Cornuti, TALL M. Herb 4 -8 high; stem-leaves not raised on a 

 general petiole; flowers white, in summer; anthers oblong, not drooping; the 

 white filaments thickened upwards. Low or wet ground. 



5. ADONIS. (The red-flowered species fabled to spring from the blood 

 of Adonis, killed by a wild boar.) Stems leafy ; leaves finely much cut 

 into very narrow divisions. Cult, from Europe for ornament 



A. autumnalis, PHEASANT'S-EYE A. Stems near 1 high, it or the 

 branches terminated by a small flower, of 5-8 scarlet or crimson petals, com- 

 monly dark at their base. Has run wild in Tennessee. 



A. vernalis, SPRING A. It Stems about 6' high, bearing a large showy 

 flower, of 10-20 lanceolate light-yellow petals, iu early spring. 



6. MYOSURUS, MOUSETAIL (which the name means in Greek). 



M. minimus. An insignificant little plant, wild or run wild along streams 

 from Illinois S., with a tuft of narrow entire root-leaves, and scapes 1' -3' high, 

 bearing an obscure yellow flower, followed by tail-like spike of fruit of l'-2' 

 long, in spring and summer. 



7. RANUNCULUS, CROWFOOT, BUTTERCUP. (Latin name for 

 a little frog, and for the Water Crowfoots, living with the frogs.) A lar<_ r o 

 genus of wild plants, except the double-flowered varieties of three species cult 

 in gardens for ornament. (Lessons, p. 88, fig. 245, and p. 120, fig. 376, 377.) 



I. Aquatic; the leaves all or mostly under water, and repeatedly dissected into 

 many capillary divisions : flowering all summer. 



R. aquatilis, WHITE WATER-CROWFOOT. Capillary leaves collapsing 

 into a tuft when drawn out of the water ; petals small, white, or only yellow at 

 the base, where they bear a spot or little pit, but no scale : akenes wrinkled 

 crosswise. 



R. divaricatus, STIFF W. Like the last, but less common ; the leaves 

 stiff and rigid enough to keep their shape (spreading in a circular outline) when 

 drawn out of water. 



R. multifidus, YELLOW W. Leaves under water much as those of the 

 White Water Crowfoot^, or rather larger ; but the bright yellow petals as large 

 as those of Common Buttercups, and, like them, with a little scale at the base. 

 (Formerly named R. PURSHII, &c.) 



2. Terrestrial, many in wet places, but naturally growing with the foliage out of 

 water : petals with the little scale at the base, yellow in all the wild species. 



* Akenes not prickly nor bristly nor stnate on the sides. 1J. 



+ SPEARWORT CROWFOOTS ; growing in very wet places, with mostly entire and 

 narrow leaves : fl. all summer. 



R. alismsefolius. Stems ascending, 1 - 2 high ; leaves lanceolate or the 

 lowest oblong , flower fully |' in diameter ; akenes beaked with a straight and 

 slendtr stvle. 



R. Flammula. Smaller than the last, and akenes short-pointed ; rare 

 N., but very common along borders of ponds and rivers is the 



Var. r^ptans, or CREEPING S., with slender stems creeping a few inches in 

 length; leaves linear or spatulate, seldom 1' long ; flower only 4' broad. 



-i- -<- SMALL-FLOWERED CROWFOOTS ; in wet or moist places, with upper 

 leaves 3-parted or divided, and very small flowers, the petals shorter or not longer 

 than the calyx : fl. spring and summer. 



R. abortlVUS, SMALL-FLOWERED C. Very smooth and slender, 6' -2 

 high ; root-leaves rounded, crenate ; akenes in a globular head. Shady places, 

 along watei'courscs. 



R. sceleratus, CURSED C. So called because the juice is very acrid and 

 blistering; stonier than the last and thicker-leaved, equally smooth, even the 



