178 WEEDS OF THE FARM AND GARDEN 



sessile, lobes linear; flowers small, petals pale yellow; 

 carpels orbicular with minute beak. A common weed in 

 shady places, fields, and roadsides, especially eastern 

 North America. 



The tall buttercup (R. acris), with hairy stem two to 

 three feet high ; three-divided leaves, large yellow flow- 

 ers with rounded petals, longer than the calyx ; plant with 

 acrid juice. Common eastward. In the prairie region the 

 R. septentrionalis with long runners, slim, smooth, or 

 hairy plants; leaves three-divided, petals yellow. Com- 

 mon. 



The Early Crowfoot (R. fascicularis). A low ascending 

 plant with three-parted root leaves ; yellow flowers and 



fascicled, tuberous roots. 



Common in clay hills in 



Minnesota, Ohio, Iowa and 



Illinois. 

 Larkspur (Delphinium 



asureum, Michx.). A 



perennial, from three- 

 ( Portulaca fourths to one and one-half 



feet high with finely pubes- 

 cent stem ; leaves deeply five-parted, the divisions two to 

 three-cleft, lobes narrowly linear; flowers blue, petals 

 four, irregular, the upper pair continued backward hori- 

 zontally or curved upward into long spurs, which are in- 

 closed in the spur of the calyx, lower pair with short 

 claws ; sepals five, irregular, petal-like, the upper pro- 

 longed into a spur at the base ; pods erect, many seeded. 

 Virginia, to Georgia and west to Arkansas and Missouri, 

 and north to Saskatchewan. In the West D. Geyeri is- a 

 troublesome, poisonous plant, causing much the same 

 trouble as that produced by D. tricorne in the South. 



Poppy Family (Papaveraceae). Annual or perennial 

 herbs, with milky or colored juice ; leaves alternate, 

 stipules none ; perfect, regular, or irregular flowers ; sepals 



