Ranunculus RANUNCULACEAE Ttialictrum 



Annual, up to 1 m. high: fls. 0.5-1 cm. across: frtg. head 



oblong; achenes numerous 2. R. sceleratus 



Perennial from fascicled roots, up to 2dm. high: fls. 1-1.5 



cm. across: frtg. head ovoid to spherical; achenes 5-20. 



Plant prostrate, stoloniferous, growing in rice fields : roots 



elongated 3 . R. polii 



Plant ascending, not stoloniferous, growing in grassland : 



roots short and thick 4 . R. ternatus 



bb. Plants more or less pubescent. 



c. Lvs. definitely trifoliolate 5. R. cantoniensis 



cc. Lvs. 3-cleft, but not entirely divided 6. R. acris 



1. Ranunculus aquatilis Linn. Common White Water Crowfoot jK^M. (Shui Mao 

 Ken) (G.M.7th 394). Submersed aquatic herb; fls. white, V-VII. Eurasia and 

 North America; locally in Che., Ku. Ponds and lakes. 



2. Ranunculus sceleratus Linn. Celery-leaved Crowfoot Stiff (Shih Lung 

 Jui; Stone-dragon Plant) (G.M.650). Erect herb, 5-10 dm. high; fls. yellow, III-IV; 

 fr. green, IV. Eurasia and North America; locally in An., Che., Ku. In or 

 near water. 



3. Ranunculus polii Franch. (F.H.E.1:15). Prostrate herb; fls. yellow, IV; lower 

 lvs. 3-parted. China; locally in Ku. Rice fields. 



4. Ranunculus ternatus Thunb. d^Jt- (Hsiao Mao Ken; Small Ranunculus) (Mosc. 

 B.54(l):3). Spreading herb, 2-5 dm. high; fls. yellow, III; roots fascicled, fleshy. 

 Japan, China; locally in Ku. Grassland. 



5. Ranunculus cantoniensis DC. tHIH^ (Hui Hui Suan; Moslem Garlic) (DC. P. 1:43). 

 Erect herb; fls. yellow, VI; fr. VII; frtg. head oblong. Eastern Asia; locally in 

 An., Che., Ki., Ku. Moist places. 



6. Ranunculus acris Linn. Tall Buttercup ^Jgr (Mao Ken) (G.M.655). Erect herb, 

 2-5 dm. high; fls. yellow, IV- VII. Eurasia; locally in An., Che., Ki., Ku. 

 Roadsides and grasslands. 



5. Thalictrum Linn. Meadow Rue j|f;j£#:|i (T'ang Sung Ts'ao Shu; 



Boastful -green-herb Genus) 



Erect perennial herbs: lvs. alternate, ternately decompound: fls. small and 

 numerous, often unisexual, without petals; carpels; few, becoming achenes, some- 

 times stalked or winged. About 90 species, mostly of the north temperate zone; 

 12 or more in China. (A Greek name.) 



Key to the Species 



a. Carpels long-stipitate 1 . T. fortunei 



aa. Carpels sessile or nearly so. 



Lfts. 15-60 mm. broad, nerved below 2. T. actaeafolium 



Lfts. 5-25 mm. broad. 



Lfts. round in outline at the tip, glaucous beneath, dentate 



rather than serrate 3 . T. argyi 



Lfts. cuneate-oblong-lanceolate-linear, narrower above, nerved 



below 4 . T. simplex 



1. Thalictrum fortunei S. Moore (BSBF 50:612). Bushy herb, 3-6 dm. high; fls. 

 white, I V-VII; fr. VII-VIII. Central China; locally in An., Che., Ki. Damp 

 places. Fig. 107. 



119 



