Crowfoot Family 155 



times bearing one or more leaves at the base; flowers 1-7, 6-8 

 mm. broad; head of fruit oblong, 6-16 mm. long; achenes com- 

 pressed, somewhat swollen, distinctly striate, minutely sharp- 

 pointed. (Ranunculus Cymbalaria Pursh.) 



Frequent throughout our range in low moist places. March-July. 



6. RANUNCULUS L. BUTTERCUP. 



Annual or perennial herbs, with alternate or mostly 

 basal simple entire, lobed, divided or dissected leaves, 

 and yellow, white or sometimes red flowers. Sepals 

 mostly 5, deciduous. Petals equal in number or more, 

 conspicuous or minute, bearing a nectariferous pit and 

 sometimes a scale at base of blade. Achenes capitate or 

 rarely spicate, generally flattened, smooth, papillose or 

 pectinate, sometimes transversely wrinkled, beaked with 

 a minute or elongated style. 



* Terrestrial herbs; flowers mostly yellow. 



1. B. Californicus Benth. Mostly pubescent and hirsute; 

 stems branching, 2-6 dm. high ; radical leaves usually pinnately 

 ternate, the leaflets lanciniately cut into 3-7, usually linear lobes ; 

 flowers 1-2 cm. broad; petals 7-15; achenes 3.5 mm. long, flat- 

 tened, slightly margined, beaked with the short straight or 

 slightly curved style. 



Frequent on the mesas and in open places in the foothills. February- 

 April. 



2. B,. hebecarpus H. & A. Slender, 15-30 cm. high, branched, 

 pilose-pubescent; leaves of rounded outline, deeply lobed or 

 cleft, the segments 3-lobed; flowers minute, on filiform pedicels; 

 achenes few in a globose head, rounded and flattened, papillose 

 and pubescent; beak short, recurved. 



Growing in moist shady places, not common. Oak Knoll; Santa Monica 

 Mountains. March-May. 



** Aquatics with finely dissected leaves and white flowers. 



3. B. trichophyllus Chaix. Submerged; stems branching, 

 usually 3 dm. long or more; leaves petioled, 2.5-5 cm. long, 

 flaccid and collapsing when withdrawn from the water, repeat- 

 edly forked with capillary divisions; flowers white, 12-18 mm.. 



