RANUNCULACE^E. XII. Mvosuaus. XIII. CERATOCEPHALUS. XIV. RANUNCULUS. 



25 



XII. MYOSU'RUS (pvQ, mys, a mouse, and ovpa, oura, a tail. 

 The seeds are seated upon a long receptacle, which looks exactly 

 like the tail of a mouse). Dill, geiss. p. 106. t. 4. Lin. gen. 

 No. .394. D. C. syst. 1. p. 229. prod. 1. p. 25. Gart. fr. 1. 

 p. 354. t. 4. Juss.gen. 233. Lam. ill. t. 221. 



LIN. SYST. Pentdndria Polygynia. Calyx of 5 -sepals ; sepals 

 loosened at the base or drawn out downward beyond their inser- 

 tion. Petals 5, with a filiform tubular claw. Stamens 5-20. 

 Cariopsides numerous, triquetrous, very much crowded on a long 

 receptacle, each pointed with the straight style. Small annual 

 plants with linear entire leaves, and small yellow flowers. Scapes 

 1 -flowered. 



1 MY. HUNIMUS (Lin. spec. 407.) scape nearly equal in length 

 with the leaves, or longer ; appendages of calyx somewhat leafy, 

 O H. Native throughout Europe in exposed muddy situations, 

 and in fields where it has been inundated in the winter. Fl. dan. 

 t. 406. Curt. fl. lond. t. 151. Smith, eng. bot. Schkuhr. handb. 

 t. 88. Scapes shorter or longer than the leaves, 3-8, rising 

 from the same root. Sepals and petals equal in number. 



Least Mouse-tail. Fl. April, June. Britain. PI. 1-2 inches. 



2 MY. SHO'RTII (Raf. in Sill. amer. jour. sc. 1819. vol. 1. No. 

 4. p. 379.) scapes shorter than the leaves ; appendages of calyx 

 membranous. 0. H. Native of North America about Hopkin's 

 Town, West Kentucky. Perhaps a variety of the first. 



Short's Mouse-tail. Fl. April, June. PL 1 inch. 



Cult. The species of Myosurus only require to be sown in 

 the open ground in a moist situation, where they should afterwards 

 be allowed to sow themselves. 



XIII. CERATOCE'PHALUS (from pa e , keras, a horn, 

 and k't<t>a\r], kephale, a head, on account of the horn ends of the 

 seeds in the heads of the capsules) Mcench. meth. p. 218. D. C. 

 syst. 1. p. 230. prod. 1. p. 26, but not of Vaill. 



LIN. SYST. Pentdndria Polygy'nia. Calyx of 5 permanent sepals. 

 Petals unguiculate. Stamens 5-15. Carpels numerous, attach- 

 ed to a long receptacle, with a gibbosity on both sides at the base, 

 and drawn out at top into a long flat horn, which is 6-times 

 longer than the seed. Seeds 4-sided, with an erect embryo. 

 Small annual herbs, with 1 -flowered scapes, yellow flowers, and 

 leaves many-parted into linear lobes. 



1 CER. FALCA'TUS (Pers. ench. 1. p. 341.) horns of carpels fal- 

 cate, somewhat ascending. 0. H. Native of Spain, south of 

 France, Italy, Hungary, Austria, Argolis, Arcadia, and about 

 Damascus, &c. in corn-fields. Ranunculus falcatus, Lin. spe. 781. 

 Jacq. fl. aust. t. 48 ; Ranunculus testiculatus. Crantz. aust. 2. 

 p. 97. Ceratocephala spicata, Mocnch. meth. 218. Herb nearly 

 smooth, but downy in hot exposed situations. 



/Wcate-horned Ceratocephalus. Fl. May. Clt. 1739. PI. 1 to 

 2 inches. 



2 CER. ORTHOCERAS (D. C. syst. 1. p. 231.) horns of pericarps 

 straight. 0. H. Native of Tauria and the south of Siberia in 

 uncultivated fields. Deless. icon. sel. 1. t. 23. Ranunculus falca- 

 tus, Bieb. fl. cauc. 2. p. 29, exclusive of the synonyme. Differing 

 from C. falcatus, in being a little smaller, and in the pericarps 

 being constantly clothed with white wool, as well as in the horns 

 of pericarps being straight, not falcate. 



Straight- horned Ceratocephalus. Fl. May. Clt. 1823. PI. 1 inch. 

 Cult. They only require to be sown in the open ground. Not 

 worth cultivating unless in the gardens of the curious. 



XIV. RANU'NCULUS (from rana, a frog, because most of 

 the species inhabit humid places frequented by that reptile ; Ranun- 

 cule and Grenouillette, Fr. ; Rammkel, Germ. ; Ranuncole, Ital. ; 

 ftarpaxiov, Gre. ; Crowfoot in English, in allusion to the form of 

 the leaves of many of the species,) C. Bauh. pin. 180 ; Pers. 



VOL. I. 



ench. 2. p. 102 ; Gaert. fruct. 1. p. 353. t. 74. Ranunculi spe. 

 Lin. gen. No. 699. 



LIN. SYST. Polydndria, Polygynia. Calyx of 5 deciduous 

 sepals (f. 9. a.) which are not loosened at the base. Petals 5, 

 rarely 8 (f. 9. 6.) 10, furnished with a nectariferous scale on the 

 inside at the base (f. 9. c.). Stamens numerous. Cariopsides 

 numerous, ovate, somewhat compressed ending in a point or 

 horn, which is scarcely ever longer than the seed, (f. 9. d.) 

 smooth striated or tubercled (f. 9. <?.), disposed into globose or 

 cylindrical heads (f. 9. e. rf.). Annual or perennial herbs, with 

 entire, toothed, or multifid leaves (f. 9.), and white, yellow, or 

 purple, scentless flowers. The recent herb is acrid, applied to 

 the skin occasions blisters, but taken inwardly poisonous. 



SECT. i. BATRA'CUIUM (fiarpa-%iov, batraclnon,a frog; because 

 the plants grow in water frequented by that reptile for the pur- 

 pose of depositing their spawn ;) D. C. syst. 1. p. 232. prod. 1. p. 

 26. Pericarps transversely rugoso- striated. Petals white, marked 

 with a yellow hollow nectariferous claw. Water plants. 



1 R. HEDERA'CEUS (Lin. spe. 781.) stem creeping; leaves 

 renifonn, usually 3 or 5-lobed ; lobes broad, entire, very blunt ; 

 petals oblong, scarcely longer than the calyx; stamens 5-12 ; 

 carpels smooth. I/ . H. W. Native throughout Western Eu- 

 rope, in springs, fountains, running waters, and inundated places ; 

 especially in Iceland, Britain, north and west of France, Spain, 

 Portugal, Algiers, and in North America from the United States 

 to the Arctic sea. Smith, eng. bot. 2003. Curt. fl. lond. 

 Haynes, pi. euro. 106. R. hederaceus, var. a. Thor. chl. 

 land. 242. Schlecht. anim. ran. 1. p. 7. R. hedersefolius, Sal. 

 prod. 372. 



/wy-leaved Crowfoot. Fl. May, Aug. Britain. PI. aq. 



2 R. SANICUL^FOLIUS (Viv. ex. Spreng. syst. 2. p. 645.) 

 stem floating, and rooting; leaves kidney-shaped, bluntly 5- 

 lobed, crenated ; petioles naked at the base ; peduncles equal in 

 length to the leaves ; petals 3-times longer than the calyx. 3/ . H. 

 W. Native of the north of Africa. 



Sanicula-leaved Crowfoot. Fl. May, Aug. PI. fit. 



3 R. TRIPARTITUS (D. C. icon. gal. rar. 1. p. 15. t. 49.) stem 

 floating, submersed leaves capillaceously-multifid, emersed ones 

 3-parted ; lobes cuneated, toothed at top ; carpels smooth. I/ . 

 H. W. Native of the west of France, Britain, in springs and 

 inundated places. An intermediate species between R. hedera- 

 ceus and R. aqudtllis. 



Var. a, micrdnthits (D. C. 1. c.), petals oblong acutish, length 

 of calyx; R. tripartitus, D. C. icon. gal. rar. 1. p. 15. t. 49. 

 R. hederaceus, var. ft, Thor. chl. land. 242. 



Var. ft, obtusiflorus (D. C. 1. c.) petals, obovate obtuse, longer 

 than the calyx. Water Crowfoot, Pet. engl. herb. t. 39. f. 1. 



Three-parted-\ea.\e&. Crowfoot. Fl. May, Aug. Britain. PI. fit. 



4 R. AQUA'TILIS (Lin. spe. 781.) stems floating; submersed 

 leaves capillaceously-multifid, emersed ones 3-parted ; lobes 

 wedge-shaped, toothed at top ; petals obovate, larger than calyx ; 

 carpels hispid, with stifF bristles. I/ . H. W. Native through- 

 out Europe, Western Asia, North Africa, and also in North 

 America, in pools and stagnant waters, in plains and low moun- 

 tains. Smith, eng. bot. 101 ; Bir. ran. 32. t. 1. f. 18 and 27. 



This plant sometimes produces very large flowers, and makes 

 a handsome show in ponds and ditches ; the curious variety in 

 the floating and immersed leaves adds to the beauty of this com- 

 mon aquatic plant. Dr. Pulteney (Linn. soc. trans. 5. p. 19.) 

 contradicts the assertions of its deleterious qualities, and proves 

 that it is not merely innoxious, but nutritive to cattle, and capable 

 of being converted to useful purposes in agricultural economy. 

 In the neighbourhood of Kingswood, on the borders of the Avon, 

 some of the cottagers support their cows, and even horses, almost 

 wholly by this plant. A man collects a quantity every morning, 



