RANUNCULACE. 43 
SPECIES XVI-RANUNCULUS HIRSUTUS. Cut. 
Prate XXXVI.* 
Reich. Ic. Fl. Germ. et Helv. Vol. III. Ran. Tab. XXIII. Fig. 4617. 
Bab. Man. Brit. Bot. ed. v. p. 11. Look. & Arn. Brit. Fl. p. 11. 
X. philonotis (Ehrh.), Benth. Handbook Brit. Fl. p. 63. 
Fries, Summ. Veg. Scand. p. 25. Koch, Syn. Fl. Germ. et Helv. ed. i. p. 19. 
Gr. & Godr. Fl. de Fr. Vol. I. p. 57. 
R. sardous, “ Crantz,” Auguste Gras, in Bulletin de la Soc. Bot. de la Fr. Vol. IX. 
p. 324, 
No rootstock. Stems numerous, erect or ascending, slightly 
branched. Leaves roundish or shortly ovoid in outline ; the radical 
and lower stem leaves stalked, ternate, with 3-cleft segments; the 
middle leaflet stalked, the lateral ones sessile; or the radical leaves 
simply tripartite or trifid; segments coarsely serrate, or crenate- 
serrate; upper leaves sessile, with narrowly elliptical segments. 
Peduncles hairy, furrowed. Sepals hairy, reflexed. Petals with a 
conspicuous scale over the nectary; scale rounded at the top, 
considerably narrower than the claw of the petal. Head of fruit 
elobular-ovoid. Achenes compressed, conspicuously margined, with 
raised points disposed in an incomplete circle (rarely in two) near 
the margin, visible to the naked eye; beak extremely short, 
ascending, straight. Receptacle hairy. 
In damp meadows, especially in the vicinity of brackish water, 
on places overflowed in winter, and by road-sides. Rather rare, and 
not known to extend north of the counties of Perth and Argyle. 
Indeed, I have not myself seen it, except as a straggler, north of 
Berwickshire. 
England, Scotland, Ireland. Annual or Biennial. Summer 
and Autumn. 
Root fibrous, throwing up numerous stems 6 to 18 inches high. 
Leaves bearing considerable resemblance to those of R. bulbosus, 
but usually shorter and less divided. Flowers ? inch to 1 inch in 
diameter, bright yellow, paler than in the last species, but with the 
sepals reflexed in a precisely similar manner, and resembling them 
in every respect. Petals obovate, narrower than in KR. bulbosus, 
and with the nectary scale much narrower in proportion, and 
rounded, not emarginate or truncate at the top. Achenes lenti- 
cular, reddish brown when ripe, much compressed, with a very 
prominent margin and a few raised obtuse points, disposed in 
* The Plate is E. B, 1504, with corrected dissections drawn by Mr. J. E. Sowerby. 
