26 



BRITISH FLOWERING PLANTS 



which are about twice as long as the expanse of 

 the wings. The pale yellowish larva, with a black 

 head, forms a flattened pear-shaped case of frag- 

 ments of leaves, in which it lives, feeding on 

 chlorophyll, till it reaches its full growth, when it 

 becomes a pupa within the case itself. 



Buttercup — Ranunculus auricomus 

 (Plate III) 



The genus Ranunculus, to which the Buttercups 

 and Crowfoots belong, contains a great number of 

 species, some of which are very abundant in woods 

 and pastures. The flowers of the Buttercups 

 (generally with 5 sepals and petals) are of a paler 

 or deeper yellow, while the Water Crowfoots are 

 white. 



The species which we have figured grows about 

 a foot high, and is common in woods, where it 

 flowers in April and May. The root-leaves are 

 smooth, kidney-shaped, and notched or lobate ; 

 while the leaves on the stem are pinnate, sessile, 

 entire or dentated, and the flower-bearing stalks 



are erect. The root is fibrous. The stem is 

 upright, cylindrical, smooth, and simple, or branch- 

 ing above. The flower-stalks rise from the axils 

 of the leaves, or from the upper part of the stem. 

 The flowers are large, with a golden-yellow corolla. 

 The petals are round, entire, veined, and provided 

 with a very short base. The sepals are about half 

 as long as the petals, and are yellowish, pubescent, 

 and obtuse. The seeds are gathered into a round 

 cluster, and each seed has a curved beak at 

 the extremity. This species is sometimes called 

 "Goldilocks," a translation of its Latin name. 



Among the Buttercups found in meadows, one 

 of the commonest is Ranunculus lu/lbosus, easily 

 distinguished by the upper part of the root forming 

 a small white bulb. 



All the Buttercups are very acrid plants, and 

 cattle will not eat them in the fresh state ; but 

 when dried among hay they are harmless. It is, 

 therefore, quite a mistake to suppose that the 

 yellow colour of butter is due to cows eating 

 buttercups, though it is almost certain that butter- 

 cups derived their name from their being more 



