RANUNCULUS.* 



RANUNCULUS BULBOSUS.f 



Bulbous Crowfoot. Butter cups. 



Synonyms.— Ranunculus bulbosus, Linn., Sp. Bl., 778 ; Buds., 241 ; With., 

 508 ; Belb., 213 ; Sibth., 173 ; Curt. Bond., fasc. i., t. 38 ; Mart. FL Bust., t. 28 ; 

 Bail Syn. 9 247 ; Sow. Brit. Bot., vol. v. p. 243. Ranunculus nona s] J, Cord., 

 p. 121. Ranunculus tuberosus, Dodon. Burg., p. 290 ; Hist, p. 431. Ranunculus 

 pratensis radice verticelli modo rotunda, C. B. 



FoEEiax Names.— Fr.: Renoncule. Ital: Ranunculo. Span.: Ranunculo 

 Germ.: Hahnen-fuss. 



Nat. Order, Ranunculace^e. — Polyandrta, Polygyria. 



Gen. Chae. — Calyx inferior, of live, rarely fewer, egg-shaped, concave, 

 somewhat coloured, deciduous sepals, not lengthened at the base. 

 Corolla, of five, rarely eight or ten, blunt polished petals, each with a 

 nectariferous scale on the inside, at the base. Filaments numerous, not 

 half the length of the petals. Anthers roundish, linear, or heart-shaped, 

 terminal, upright, of two cells, bursting at the outer edges. Germe 

 superior, numerous, collected into a head. Styles none. Stigmas small, 

 reflexed. Pericarps or canqpsides (seeds of Linn, and Smith) numerous, 

 egg-shaped, somewhat compressed, either smooth, striated, tubereulated, 

 or prickly, each tipped with a point or hook, arranged in a globose or 



cylindrical head. Seed erect, one in each pericarp. 

 Spec. Char. — Leaves divided, pairing, ternate, three-cleft, cut. Peri- 

 carps smooth. Perennial. Stem many-flowered. Calyx reflexed. Seeds 

 compressed, smooth. Boot bulbous. 



History. — The genus Kanunculus forms a very numerous 



lg. 1. The stamens and pistil. 2. Single stamen. 



Ranunculus, from rana, a frog, from the plants delighting to grow where frogs 

 abound. More probably the division of the leaves in all these plants suggested the 

 idea of a frog's foot ; which supposition is borne out by the English name, Craw- 

 foot. 



bulbosus 



R. sceleratus. 



