790 RANUNCULUS. [class XIII. ORDER III. 



into a pale thin membranous margin, embracing the stem, smooth, or 

 slightly hairy. Flowers numerous, terminal and axillary, on round 

 slender -pedicles, smooth, or clothed with close pressed hairs, especially 

 at the top. Calyx of five ovate concave spreading pieces, thickly 

 clothed with close pressed hairs. Petals a bright yellow, roundish, 

 wedge-shaped, spreading, the claw with a minute nectariferous scale. 

 Stamens numerous, with short broadish filaments^ and oblong yellow 

 two celled anthers. Stigma sessile. Carpels obovate, compressed, 

 smooth, with a short terminal beak, slightly marginated. 



Habitat. — Marshes, watery places, banks of pools, &c. ; very common. 



Perennial; flowering from June to September. 



This is an extremely common and variable plant in its size, the 

 shape of the leaves, and more or less hairiness of the plant, and it is 

 erect or rooting from the creeping stem, varieties seeming, as is com- 

 monly the case, to depend upon the place of growth being more or less 

 wet. It is very acrid, speedily producing inflammation and blisters on 

 the skin, and its infusion is a violent emetic; but it does not appear 

 to have been applied to any useful purpose. 



7. It. gramin'euSf Linn. (Fig. 901.) Grassy Crowfoot. Leaves linear 

 lanceolate, numerously striated, entire, and as well as the erect stem 

 smooth ; carpels compressed, obliquely ovate, rugose, carinated ; beak 

 short ; root fascicled. 



English Botany, t. 2306.— English Flora, vol. iii. p. 46.— Hooker, 

 British Flora, ed. 4. vol. i. p. 219. — Lindley, Synopsis, p. 10. 



Root with fleshy club-shaped fasciculated fibres. Stem erect, round, 

 smooth, from twelve to eighteen inches high, branched upwards, and 

 bearing two or three flowers, naked, or with one or two narrow linear 

 leaves. Leaves not very numerous, radical, linear lanceolate, from four 

 to six inches long, a yellowish glaucous green, smooth, and numerously 

 striated with slender ribs, the petiole dilated at the base, and embracing 

 the stem. Calyx of five smooth ovate acute reflexed pieces. Petals a 

 bright yellow, broadly wedge-shaped, spreading, the claw with a tubular 

 nectariferous scale. Stamens numerous, with linear filaments and 

 linear oblong yellow anthers. Carpels numerous, crowded into a 

 roundish head, smooth, ovate, obliquely compressed, reticulated, the 

 keel terminating in a short beak. 



Habitat.^"' North Wales, Mr. Pritchard.'* 



Perennial ; flowering in May and June. 



This is a very doubtful native, and does not appear to have been 

 found except by Mr. Pritchard, in North Wales. It is not uncommon 

 in open mountainous pastures of the Alpine districts of the Continent. 



8. R. Fica'ria, Linn. (Fig, 902.) Pilewort Crowfoot^ lesser Celandine. 

 Leaves petiolated, cordate, angular or crenated ; calyx mostly of three 

 pieces ; petals about nine. 



