THE SPKING FLOKA 171 



RANUNCULACEAE (BUTTERCUP FAMILY) 

 BUTTERCUP OR HEPATICA 



Select one or more species of buttercups for field study. 



1. Habitat. Determine the following facts concerning the 



habitat of buttercups : 



a. Soil, water supply, and drainage of their habitat at 

 different seasons of the year. 



&. Plant associates. With what other plants are the 

 buttercups associated ? Does their association with 

 these plants affect their relation to light, soil mois- 

 ture, and soil food ? Would these relations be different 

 at different seasons of the year ? Be able to explain 

 the relation of this association to the spring flower- 

 ing period of buttercups or hepaticas. * 



2. Habit. Use Ranunculus fascicularis for this study if it 



is available. Other species may be used. Study plants 

 of Ranunculus fascicularis in the field ; remove some 

 plants from the soil with a trowel so as not to injure the 

 root system, and observe as follows : 



a. Stem, roots, and leaves. Note the origin of the roots 



and leaves from the short (acaulescent) stem. Are 

 the leaves cyclic or spiral in arrangement ? 



b. Light relation. What position do the leaves assume 



with reference to light? Are they advantageously 

 placed ? Is this favorable placing of the leaves a re- 

 sultant of both body plan and adjustment by tropisms, 

 as in peas, dandelions, and trees studied earlier in the 

 text ? Be able to explain. 



c. Soil relation. Study the root system of Ranunculus 



fascicularis. What different kinds of roots do you 

 find ? What is the apparent function of each ? At 



