444 BANUNCULACEAE 



curabent and producing runners 2-8 dm. long : leaves mainly basal ; blades long-petioled, 

 various, merely lobed or 3-several-cleft or parted or divided, 2-10 cm. broad, the segments 

 bluntly or sharply toothed or incised ; stem-leaves with narrow often entire segments : 

 corolla yellow, about 12 mm. broad: pedicels slender: petals oblong to oblong-obovate : 

 achenes few, 5-6 mm. long, including the flat nearly straight beak, broadly margined. 

 In river swamps or low woods, South Carolina to Tennessee and Florida. Spring. 



15. Ranunculus septentrionalis Poir. Foliage glabrous or rarely pubescent. Boots 

 simply fibrous : stems branching, 3-12 dm. long, the later branches procumbent and some- 

 times rooting at the nodes : leaves large ; blades petioled, 3-divided, the divisions mostly 

 cuneate at the base, cleft into broad lobes : lower petioles occasionally a foot long : corolla 

 2. 5 cm. in diameter or more, bright yellow : petals obovate, twice the length of the spread- 

 ing sepals : head of fruit globose or oval, 10-13 mm. in diameter: achenes flat, strongly 

 margined, subulate-beaked by the stout sword-shaped styles which are of nearly their length 

 and often early deciduous. 



In low grounds and mainly in swamps, New Brunswick to Manitoba, Georgia and Kentucky. 

 Spring and early summer. 



16. Ranunculus fascicularis Muhl. Foliage silky-pubescent. Boots thickened 

 and clustered : stems low, 1-3 dm. tall, tufted : leaf-blades petioled, 3-5-divided, the di- 

 visions stalked (especially the terminal one), deeply lobed and cleft, the lobes oblong or 

 linear : corolla 2-2.5 cm. broad : petals yellow, obovate, much longer than the spreading 

 sepals, rounded, truncate, or even emarginate : head of fruit globose, mostly 8-10 mm. in 

 diameter : achenes flat, slightly margined, each beaked with the subulate persistent style 

 which is nearly or quite the length of the body. 



In woods, Ontario and New England to Manitoba, middle Georgia and Texas. Spring. 



17. Ranunculus apricus Greene. Foliage sparingly strigillose or barely hirsute. 

 Boots clustered, slightly thickened : stemg slender, erect or ascending, 2-3 dm. long, sev- 

 eral together : leaves mainly basal, of 2 kinds ; blades slender-petioled, merely toothed or 

 slightly 3-lobed, truncate at the base, others on longer petioles, several times larger, 3-di- 

 vided and the terminal lobe mostly 3-parted ; stem-leaves few, with linear or linear-oblong, 

 entire or sparingly toothed segments : flowers slender-pedicelled : corolla 1.5 cm. broad: 

 petals oblong or oblong-obovate, white or pale within, yellowish without : achenes numer- 

 ous, turgid -lenticular, 2-2.5 mm. long, narrowly margined, subulate-beaked. 



In moist pine woods, the Indian Territory to Mississippi and Louisiana. Winter and spring. 



18. Ranunculus hispidus Michx. Foliage densely villous-hirsute, especially when 

 young, becoming less densely pubescent in age. Boots relatively slender : stems com- 

 monly several together, erect or decumbent, 2-6 dm. long : leaves mainly basal ; blades 

 pinnately 3-5-divided, rather thin, the segments sharply cleft or lobed ; upper stem- 

 leaves 3-lobed or 3-parted : corolla yellow, 1.2-3.5 cm. broad : petals obovate or cuneate, 

 about twice as long as the spreading sepals : head of fruit globular or oval-globose, 6-10 

 mm. long : achenes lenticular, broadly oval, 3-4 mm. Jong, the subulate beak about ^ as 

 long as the body. 



In woods and thickets, Ontario to the Northwest Territory, Georgia and Arkansas. Spring. 



19. Ranunculus cuneiformis Small. Foliage hirsute below the inflorescence. 

 Boots thickened, clustered : stems usually several together, 2-3 dm. tall, erect or ascend- 

 ing, rather slender : leaves mainly basal ; blades, at least some of them, 2-divided into 

 cuneate rather obtuse segments, 5-10 cm. long, about as long as the petioles ; upper stem- 

 leaves with 3-parted blades, the segments narrow, often incised: corolla yellow, about 1.5 

 cm. broad : peduncles strigillose : head of fruit subglobose or ovoid-globose, about 1 cm. 

 long, the receptacle barely elongated : achenes 4 mm. long, conspicuously winged, each 

 with a triangular beak. 



On prairies, Kerrville, Texas. Spring. 



20. Ranunculus macrdnthus Scheele. Foliage hirsute. Stems erect or ascending, 

 1-6 dm. tall, simple or sparingly branched : leaves mainly basal ; blades long-petioled, 

 1-divided into more or less cuneate, entire or toothed segments ; upper stem-leaves with 

 narrower and more sharply toothed segments : corolla yellow, 3-5 cm. broad, rather 

 showy : petals cuneate to obovate, or oblong, much longer than the refiexed sepals : 

 head of fruit oblong to cylindric, 1-1.5 cm. long, the receptacle elongated : achenes 2-5 mm. 

 long, exclusive of the flat slightly curved beak, narrowly margined. 



On plains and prairies, Texas. Spring and summer. 



21. Ranunculus parvulus L. Foliage hairy. Stems erect, 1.5-4 dm. high, branch- 

 ing : basal and lower stem-leaves long-petioled; blades about 5 cm. broad and long, 

 3-divided or 3-cleft, the divisions broadly ovate, cuneate, stalked, cleft and lobed ; upper 



