17G FLORA HISTORICA. 



The Dutch, -who studied floriculture as an art 

 connected with commerce, soon turned the cultiva- 

 tion of the Ranunculus to a profitable account, and 

 they still continue to export these roots in great 

 quantities to every part of Europe, although the 

 English are said to have raised a greater variety of 

 them than any nation, as this flower was held in 

 high estimation here from about the middle to the 

 end of the last century. The varieties of this 

 brilliant but heavy flower are such, that, in 1792, 

 Maddock had upwards of eight hundred sorts ; 

 and the catalogue of Mason's Ranunculuses for 

 1820 contains about four hundred names. Mad- 

 dock is of opinion that there are more varieties of 

 the Ranunculus than of any other flower ; and he 

 observes that the seed in no instance ever produces 

 two flowers alike, or one similar to the parent plant, 

 so that the diversity of them may be carried to an 

 amazing extent. The finest and most approved 

 sorts are propagated by dividing the tubers, or by 

 offsets from the tubers; for by this means they 

 will retain all their original character for more than 

 twenty years. 



The Garden Ranunculus was not sufficiently 

 common to have been mentioned by Shakspeare, 

 nor has it been much noticed bv later poets. 

 Thomson slightly mentions the African variety, 

 which Miller calls R. Sanguineus. 



