BUTTERCUP FAMILY II 



* Petals white, with a yellow claw. 



1. jR. aqudtilis (Water Crowfoot). — This was Linnaeus' 

 collective name for a very puzzling group of plants, which botanists 

 now consider as at least nine or ten distinct species. They are 

 all water-plants with submerged leaves deeply cleft into hair-like 

 segments, and broad membranous stipules. The chief forms 

 are : R. circindtus^ with large flowers, no floating leaves, and the 

 segments of the submerged ones rigid and spreading in one 

 plane ; R. fiuitans, with much longer leaf-segments all lying 

 parallel, leaves often a foot long, but flower-stalks shorter ; R. 

 pseudo-fluitajis, with similar but shorter leaves and much longer 

 peduncles ; R. t?'ichophyUns with small flowers, and the leaf- 

 segments rigid and spreading, but not in one plane ; R. Droii'etii, 

 in which the leaf-segments collapse into a tassel when taken from 

 the water ; R. I^eterophylhis, with large flowers on stalks as long as 

 the leaves, submerged leaves collapsing into a tassel, and 3-lobed 

 floating leaves ; R. pelfdfus, in which the segments of the sub- 

 merged leaves spread out when taken from the water ; R. 

 Baudbtii, with stouter flower-stalks and floating leaves deeply 

 divided into wedge-shaped segments; and R. bitermedius, with 

 small pinkish flowers on short slender stalks, and seldom any sub- 

 merged leaves. The forms without floating leaves are the "long 

 mosses in the stream " of Tennyson. Those with floating leaves 

 occur in standing water. — Fl. May — September. 



2. R. Lejwrmdndi (Mud Crowfoot). — Floating or creeping on 

 mud ; leaves all reniform, crenate ; flowers \ in. across. — Fl. 

 June — August. 



3. R. hederdcais (Ivy-leaved Crowfoot). — Leaves all reniform, 

 5-lobed, often with a black spot on them ; flozvers very small ; 



petals scarcely longer than the calyx. — Growing in water or on 

 mud. — Fl. May — September. 



** Petals yellow. Terrestrial. 



4. R. scelerdtus (Celery-leaved Crowfoot). — Ste7n i — 2 feet 

 high, hollow, with abundant very acrid juice ; leaves glabrous, 

 glossy, cut into three oblong lobes ; flowers very small, pale 

 yellow ; /r?/// an oblong etaerio. — Growing in watery places. — Fl. 

 May — September. Annual. 



5. R. Fidm7?iula (Lesser Spearwort). — Stem creeping at the 

 base, 4 — 18 in. high; leaves petiolate, ovate, or lanceolate, hairy 

 or glabrous ; flowers \ — | in. across. Named from its causing 

 inflammation or redness of the skin. — Growing in wet places. — 

 Fl. June — August. Perennial. 



