CLASS Xin. ORDER III.] RANUNCULUS. 791 



English Botany, t. 584.— Engfish Flora, vol. iii. p. 47.— Hooker, 

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

 ranunculoideSf Moeugh. 



Root of numerous fibres, and oblong fleshy tubers. Stems often 

 numerous, from one to several inches long, simple or branched, 

 smooth, leafy, erect, or procumbent. Leaves numerous, roundish, 

 heart-shaped, the lower ones waved and crenated, the upper angularly 

 waved, a bright yellowish green, and often spotted above with black, 

 paler and sometimes glaucous beneath, the petioles long, dilated at the 

 base into a thin membranous sheath. Floivers terminal, solitary, on a 

 long round smooth pedicle. Calyx of three oblong smooth ribbed 

 spreading pieces. Petals from eight to ten, elliptic, oblong, acute, of 

 a bright sbining golden yellow, spreading. Nectary an oblong notched 

 tubular scale. Stamens numerous, with linear club-shaped filaments^ 

 and linear oblong anthers^ of two cells. Carpels not very numerous, 

 collected into a round head, somewhat hairy, ovate, compressed, with a 

 very short obtuse beak. 



Habitat, — Woods, pastures, and shady places ; common. 



Perennial; flowering in April and May. 



The calyx of this species is usually of three pieces, and the petals 

 nine. It is not unfrequent, however, to find the calyx of five pieces, 

 and the petals double that number, and sometimes the petals are only 

 five ; hence the genus Ficaria^ which was made to receive this plant 

 as assumed to difi'er in the foregoing particulars from Ranunculus, 

 being founded on unstable characters, is untenable. The herbage has 

 the reputation of being a useful antiscorbutic, and the root bruised and 

 made into poultice is said to be a useful external application to piles ; 

 but its efficacy is probably no greater than any other emollient applica- 

 tion would be. 



2. Leaves divided. 



9. R. alpes' iris, Linn. (Fig. 903.) Alpine White Crowfoot. Leaves 

 smooth, the radical ones roundish heart-shaped, three or five-cleft, the 

 segments cut or crenated, those of the stem linear, entire, or cut into 

 linear segments; stem mostly single flowered ; petals obcordate, white. 



English Botany, t. 2390.— English Flora, vol. iii. p. 49.— Hooker, 

 British Flora, ed. 4. vol. i. p. 219. — Lindley, Synopsis, p. 11. 



Root of long branched fibres. Stem erect, simple, from four to six 

 inches high, smooth, round, mostly sulcated above and naked, or with 

 one or two simple linear leaves, or cleft into linear segments. Leaves 

 all smooth, and radical, on short stout channeled footstalks, roundish 

 heart-shaped, deeply three or five-cleft, into ovate segments, cut and 

 crenated. Flowers mostly solitary, white. Calyx of five reflexed 

 segments, oblong, smooth, with a thin pale margin. Petals five, obcor- 

 date, veiny. Stamens numerous, with short filaments, and small yellow 

 ovate anthers. Carpels numerous, smooth, obovate, with a short erect 

 beak. 



