128 THE AMERICAN BOTANIST 



The names blister flower, blister wort, blister plant ar^cl 

 biting crowfoot are applied to several species noted for their 

 acrid and biting juice, especially R. sceleratus, R. hiilhosiis 

 and R. acris. The name of St. Anthony' turnip, applied to 

 R. biilhosus, probably has the same suggestion. The bulbous 

 base of the stem is not unlike a turnip in shape, and St. An- 

 thony is the saint above all others for which hot and blister- 

 ing things might properly be named. This species is also 

 called St. Anthony's rape. Ranunculus sceleratus is called 

 water celery and celery leaved crowfoot, but in reference to 

 its leaves and not as a translation of the specific name. The 

 worthless properties of this species have earned for it the 

 name of cursed crowfoot, but it is apaprently not the only 

 species cursed for R. arvensis bears the names of hell >veed 

 and devil's claws. To this species also belong starve acre and 

 hunger weed. The plant is said to receive the last two appel- 

 lations because when it is present in the field the crop will be 

 short and the owner brought to want. Devil's claws quite 

 likely refers to the way the plant lays hold on the field rather 

 than to any particular thought of the devil. R. repens is 

 called ram's claws though no ram we have ever seen had 

 claws. Possibly the name is derived from the Icelandic ramr, 

 meaning strong, in allusion to the way the species grasps the 

 soil. Sitfast is another name applied to this plant whose hold 

 on the soil makes it especially applicable. 



Ranunculus ficaria is called figwort from the fig-like 

 shape of its roots. It also bears the name of lesser celandine, 

 the true celandine being a yellow-flowered plant of the poppy 

 family. Another of its names, crain. is unmeaning enough 

 until we discover that crain or cran is an ancient name for 

 marsh, hence cranberry and perhaps crane, a storklike bird. 

 Ranunculus trichophyllus, owing to its much divided leaves 

 is known as water milfoil. The true milfoil is usually re- 

 garded as belonging to the yarrow genus {Achillea). Double 

 forms of R. acris are sometimes known as bachelors' buttons, 



