RANUNCULACE.S;. 



Root from a somewhat tuberous crown, with many long simple fibres. 

 Stem 2 feet high, erect, round, hollow, leafy, clothed with close-pressed 

 hairs; branched above, and many flowered. Radical leaves on long 

 upright hairy footstalks, in 3 or 5 deep lobes, which are variously sub- 

 divided and cut, more or less hairy; stem-leaves nearly sessile, with 

 fewer and narrower segments ; uppermost much smaller, in 3 linear 

 entire lobes ; or sometimes simple and linear. Flowers bright yellow, 

 on round even stalks, covered with close hairs, and not furrowed. 

 Calyx hairy, spreading, deciduous. Carpels lenticular, smooth, with a 

 small slightly curved point. Smith. — Extremely acrid. Mr. Curtis 

 says, that even pulling up the plant and canying it a little way, has 

 produced inflammation of the hand. 



21. R. glacialis Linn. sp. pi. 777. Jacq. coll. i. t .8, 9. 

 DC prodr. i. SO. — Among rocks near the limits of perpetual 

 snow, on the alps of Europe ; Lapland ; and Iceland. 



Radical leaves stalked, palmated, 3-parted or trifid; the lobes rather 

 blunt and thick, Stem usually 1 -flowered. Calyx extremely shaggy. 

 Petals white. Carpels compressed, sharp-edged. — The mountaineers 

 of Dauphiny call this " Carline," or " Carabine," and employ an in- 

 fusion of it in hot water as a powerful sudorific in cold and rheumatism. 



22. R. Flammula Linn. sp. pi. 772. Fl. Dan. t. 575. Eng. 

 Bot. t. 387. DC. prodr. i. 32. S. and C. it. t. 82. — Wet places 

 in Europe, Asia, Barbary and North America. 



Plant quite smooth. Stem rooting at the base, then decumbent, 

 afterwards rising up, branched, leafy, hollow ; sometimes hairy near the 

 top. Leaves on flat channelled half-sheathing stalks, alternate usually 

 ovate-lanceolate, but varying much in breadth, often serrated. Flowers 

 terminal and opposite the leaves, on smooth round naked peduncles. 

 Petals bright yellow, much larger than the spreading calyx, which is 

 often rather hairy. Carpels small, smooth. — Leaves vesicant. The 

 distilled water said by Withering to be an emetic more instantaneous 

 and less offensive than sulphate of zinc. He even prefers it to any 

 other known emetic. 



HELLEBORUS. 



Sepals 5, permanent, rounded, blunt, large, often herbaceous. 

 Petals 8-10, very short, tubular, nectariferous, narrowed to the 

 base. Stamens 30-60. Ovaries 3-10. Stigmas terminal, 

 orbicular. Capsules leathery ; seeds arranged in two rows, ellip- 

 tical, umbilicated. 



23. H. niger Linn. sp. pi. 783. Jacq. fl. austr. t. 201. Bot. 

 mag. t. 8. Woodv. med. bot. t. 18. S. and C. i. t. 11. — Sub- 

 alpine woodland regions in the midland and southern parts of 

 Europe. (Christmas Rose.) 



Rhizoma black, tuberculated, horizontal, scaly, with many dependent 

 fibres, whitish internally. Leaves all radical, on cylindrical stalks from 

 4-8 inches long, pedate, quite smooth, and almost evergreen, of a 

 strong firm texture, pale green and shining above, paler and strongly 

 reticulated beneath; lobes cuneate-obovate entire and unequal at the 



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