26 



IIANUNCULACE^E. XIV. RANUNCULUS. 



and brings it in a boat to the edge of the water, from which the 

 cows eat it with great avidity, insomuch that they stint them, and 

 allow only about twenty-five or thirty pounds to each cow daily. 

 One man kept five cows and one horse so much on this plant, 

 with the little which the heath afforded, that they had not con- 

 sumed more than one half a ton of hay throughout the whole 

 year, none being used except when the river is frozen over. 

 Hogs are also fed with this plant, and improve so well on it, that 

 it is not necessary to give them any other sustenance till they are 

 put up to fatten. This property of Water-crowfoot is the more 

 remarkable, as all the species have been deemed acrimonious, 

 and some of them are without doubt highly so. It is probable 

 this and the other water species are rendered inert as a poison 

 by growing in water ; although it must be confessed, that in other 

 instances moisture heightens the deleterious property of veget- 

 ables, especially in the umbelliferous tribe. 



Var. a, hcterophy llus (D. C. 1. c.) emersed leaves 3-parted. 

 R. heterophyllus, Hoffm. fl. germ. 197 ; li. fluviatilis, Tabern. 

 54. f. 2 ; R. diversifolius, Schrank. fl. bav. 103. Emersed leaves 

 peltate or often not peltate. Carpels hispid with rigid setae, 

 or rarely smooth. 



Var. ft, capillaceus (D. C. 1. c.) leaves stalked, immersed, dis- 

 sected into slender filiform segments. Barrel, icon. 57. t. 566. 

 R. trichophy'llus, Chaix. in Vill. dauph. 1. p. 337. R. pantothrix, 

 var. a. D. C. syst. 1. p. 135. R. fluviatilis, Wahl. veg. helv. 

 no. 597. Flowers large or small. Carpels hispid, or rarely 

 smooth. 



Var. /, ctzspilbsus (D. C. 1. c.) leaves stalked, all emersed 

 ones with a suborbicular black mark, dissected into diverging stiff 

 segments ; petioles with a broad sheathing auricled base. R. 

 aquatilis, var. ft, Schk. hand. 2. no. 1527. t. 152. R. rigidus, 

 Pers. in Hoffm. fl. germ. 4. p. 257. R. pantothrix /3, D. C. syst. 

 1. p. 236. R. ptimilus Poir. diet. 6. p. 133.R. circinnatus, Sibth. 

 in Smith, fl. brit. 2. p. 596. Fine Water-crowfoot, Pet. herb. t. 

 39. f. 3. 



Var. S, stagnalis (D. C. 1. c.) leaves sessile, all immersed, 

 capillaceously-multifid, circinnate : segments short ; sheaths ob- 

 soletely auricled, and are, as well as carpels, acutish and 

 smoothish. R. stagnatilis, Wallr. sched. 285. 



Var. t, peucedanifolius (D. C. 1. c.) leaves stalked, all im- 

 mersed, dissected into long parallel segments. R. fluitans, Oed. 

 fl. dan. t. 376. R. peucedanifolius, All. ped. no. 1469. R. pan- 

 tothrix y, D. C. syst. 1. p. 236. R. peucedanoides, Desf. all. 1. p. 

 444. R. fluviatilis, Willd. spec. 2. p. 1333. 

 i ^flier-Crowfoot. Fl. April. Aug. Britain. PI. fit. 



SECT. II. RANUNCULA'STRUM, (from Ranunculus and astrum, 

 an affixed signification; like) D. C. prod. 1. p. 27. Carpels 

 smooth, compressed, disposed in spikes. Roots grumose. 

 Flowers yellow, but variable in R. Asidticus. Leaves toothed, 

 or dissected. 



5 R. BULLA V TUS (Lin. spe. 774.) eaves all radical, stalked, 

 ovate, toothed ; scape naked, 1-flowered. If. . H. Native of 

 the region of the Mediterranean, especially in Portugal, Anda- 

 lusia, Mogadore, Algiers, Corsica, Sicily, Malta, Crete j in un- 

 cultivated fields, olive plantations, and cretaceous hills. Flowers 

 yellow, sweet scented, 9-12-petalled, single or double, sometimes 

 small, as in R.Jldmmula ; sometimes large, as in R. bulbosus. 



Var a, paruiflorus (D. C. syst. 1. p. 254. prod. 1. p. 27.) 

 flower small ; scape pilose ; leaves a little blistered. Clus. 

 hist. 1. p. 238. f. 2. Tabern. icon. 50. f. 1 and 2. Ger. hist. 

 954. f. 10. Mor. hist. 2. p. 447. sect. 4. t. 31. f. 51. 



Var. /3, grandiflbrus (D. C. 1. c.) flower large ; scape clothed 

 with pressed hairs ; leaves much blistered. Clus. hist. 1 . p. 

 238. f. 1. Ger. herb. 855. f. 11. Mor. hist. 2. p. 447. sect. 

 4. t. 31. f. 49, 50. 



1 



Blistered-leaved Crowfoot. Fl. Aug. Sept. Clt. 1640. PI. 1 ft. 



6 R. CH.E'ROPHY'LLOS (Lin. spe. 780.) radical leaves stalked, 

 and somewhat villous, trisected ; segments once or twice 3- 

 parted, acute ; the first or primordial leaves ovate, toothed or 

 3-lobed ; stem erect, 1 or 2-flowered ; calyx spreading, some- 

 what reflexed. I/ . H. Native throughout the south of Europe, 

 North Africa, and Archipelago, in hills and fields. The first 

 leaves are oval, the successive ones more and more dissected. 

 Carpels acuminated, with the styles, densely crowded into ovate, 

 oblong heads. 



Var. a, vulgaris (D. C. 1. c.) leaves nearly all trisected, mul- 

 tifid. Col. ecphr. 1. p. 212. t. 311. Mor. hist. 2. p. 446. sect. 

 4. t. 30. f. 44. Barrel, icon. 581. R. chcerophyllos, Lin. spe. 

 780. R. Illyricus, Poir. diet. 6. p. 121. exclusive of the sy- 

 nonyms. 



Var. ft, gregarius (D. C. syst. 1. p. 255. prod. 1. c.) some of 

 the leaves trifid, cut, others trisected, multifid. R. gregarius, 

 Brot. fl. lus. 2. p. 369. R. Thomasii, Ten. prod. fl. neap, suppl. 

 2. p. 68. 



Var. y,flal)cllatus(T). C. 1. c.) some of the leaves oval, tooth- 

 ed, others trisected, multifid. R. flabellatus, Desf. all. 1. p. 438. 

 t. lit. Smith, fl. graec. t. 520. 



Chervil-leaved Crowfoot. Fl. Jul. Aug. Clt. 1820. PI. 1 foot. 



7 R. AGE' fin (Bertol. opus. sc. 3. 1819. p. 182. t. 6.) leaves 

 smooth, first ones reniform, 3-lobed, crenated, succulent, 3- 

 parted, ultimate ones ternate ; lobes multifid, linear ; stem 2- 

 leaved, hairy, usually 1-flowered; calyx reflexed; carpels ending 

 in subulate points. If.. H. Native of Buenos Ayres. 



Ager's Crowfoot. PI. 1 foot. 



8 R. PALUDOSUS (Poir. voy. 2. p. 184. diet. 6. p. 108.) leaves 

 pubescent, radical ones ternate ; lobes multifid ; upper leaves 

 linear entire ; stem erect, dichotomous ; calyx adpressed. 7/.H. 

 Native of Barbary about Lacalle and elsewhere, in marshes. 

 R. chae'rophyllos var. d, Bir. ren. 42. Corolla of R. acris. 

 Carpels almost pointless, collected into elliptical heads. Calyx 

 villous. 



Marsh Crowfoot. Fl. May, June. Clt. 1816. PI. 1 foot. 



9 R. ADSCE'NDENS (Brot. fl. lus. 2. p. 63. t. 37.) leaves woolly, 

 radical ones 3-parted : segments cuneated, trifid, deeply toothed ; 

 stems ascending, dichotomous ; peduncles furrowed, angular ; 

 calyx reflexed. I/ . H. Native of Portugal about Coimbra and 

 elsewhere in Beira and Estramadura, at the bottom of hills in 

 bushy and shady places. Stature great. Leaves large, usually 

 spotted at the recesses. 



Ascending-stemmed Crowfoot. Fl. May, June. PI. 4 feet. 



10 R. MILLEFOLIA'TUS (Vahl. symb. 2. p. 63. t. 37.) leaves de- 

 compound, multifid ; lobes linear, smooth ; stem almost leafless, 

 erect, villous, 1 -flowered ; calyx pressed. ^.H. Native of the 

 kingdom of Tunis about Cape Carthage in cultivated places, 

 and on the mountains of the Morea, and Naples. Desf. atl. 

 1. p. 441. t. 116. Smith fl. grsec. 521. Very like R. chce'ro- 

 phyllos, but differing in the tubercles of the roots being shorter 

 and thicker ; leaves always decompound ; flower larger, calyx 

 pressed, not reflexed. 



Thousand-leaved Crowfoot. Fl. May, July. Plant 1 foot. 



1 1 R. SCA'BER (Presl. ex Spreng. syst. app. p. 218.) leaves de- 

 compound, multifid, scabrous ; segments linear-oblong, obtuse ; 

 calyx pubescent, reflexed ; stem erect, leafy, many-flowered, 

 clothed with close-pressed pubescence ; roots grumose. If. . H. 

 Native of Sicily. 



Scabrous Crowfoot. PI. 1 foot. 



12 R. GRA'CIUS (D. C. syst. 1. p. 256.) leaves very smooth, 

 some orbicular 3-lobed, toothed at top, others ternate, with ob- 

 long deeply lobate lobes ; stem nearly leafless, erect, clothed with 

 pressed hairs, 1-flowered ; calyx reflexed, a little pilose. If. . H. 

 Native of the Archipelago in the island of Cos. R. nov. spe. 



