148 



THE FLORAL WOELD AND GAEDEN GUIDE. 



Buttercup, Ranunculus repens, the buttercup of the meadows. The 

 leaves near the root are marked with a dark spot in the centre, 

 the flowers are glossy and plentiful, and of the fullest tint of 

 yellow, the root is fibrous, with a tuberous base, and from the base 

 of the stem go forth many creeping scions which put out roots 

 from the joints. 



The following species of ranunculus are worth hunting for now. 

 The Ivy-leaved Crowfoot, Ranunculus Jiederacea, showing ;ita first 

 flowers late in the month in marshy places. The leaves are kidney- 

 shaped ; the dowers white; the stem puts out roots at almost 

 every joint. The "Water Crowfoot, R. aquatilis, is well known ; but 

 if you never once noticed it, you bave but to look out for its white 

 flowers on rivers and ponds to make sure of knowing it the first 

 time you see it. The leaves that lie on the surface of the water are 

 boldly lobed ; those that are submerged are cut into fine divisions 

 like curly hairs of a dark green colour. The Floating- water 

 Crowfoot, R. fluitans, which resembles the last in habit, but differs 

 in having its leaves much elongated and divided, and the stem very 



SECTIOK OP BUTTEBCUP BLOSSOM. 



a, petal ; 6, stamens ; c, pistils ; d, flower-stem, or peduncle ; 

 e, receptacle. 



long and round. The flowers are white. The Lesser Spear-wort, 

 R. flammula, another of the marsh-inhabiting species, varies much 

 in character, but always produces many yellow flowers and leaves 

 that vary in form from linear to ovate, very different indeed to the 

 leaves of the meadow buttercups. The Wood Crowfoot, Goldilocks, 

 or Golden-haired buttercup, R. Auricomus, inhabits woods and 

 shady places, producing a few yellow flowers and two sorts of leaves ; 

 those at the base roundish, heart-shaped, and thrice divided ; those 

 on the stem cut into linear segments — or say — resembling fingers. 

 The Upright Meadow Crowfoot, R. acris, produces an abundance of 

 beautiful yellow flowers, which contribute largely now to the 

 splendour of the pastures. It is a true buttercup, with fibrous 

 root, a stem one to two feet high, and hairy leaves deeply lobed and 

 cut. The Creeping Crowfoot, R. repens, is extremely common in 

 pasture and waste places; the radical leaves are usually stained 



