RANUNCULACE^E. XVII. FICARIA. XVIII. CALTHA. 



43 



the plants are of sufficient size they may be planted out in a 

 moist or boggy situation, where they will probably ripen their 

 seeds. 



XVII. FICA'RIA (from ficus, a fig, so named, because the 

 grumose roots bear tubercles resembling little figs,) Dill. nov. 

 gen. p. 108. t. 5. D. C. syst. 1. p. 304. prod. 44. 



LIN. SYST. Polyandria, Polygynia. Calyx of 3-sepals, soon 

 falling off. Petals 9, foveolate on the inside at the base. Sta- 

 mens and ovaries numerous. Carpels smooth, compressed, blunt. 

 Smooth perennial herbs with yellow flowers. Petals 8 to 12. 



1 F. RANUNCULOIDES (Moeuch. meth. 215.) roots grumose; 

 stem leafy ; leaves cordate ; sepals 3. JJ. . H. Native through- 

 out the whole of Europe, in meadows, bushy places, and about 

 hedge banks. Plentiful in Britain. Ranunculus Ficaria, Lin. spec. 

 774. Smith, engl. bot. t. 584. Curt. lond. fasc. 2. t. 39. Mart, 

 rust. t. 21. Fl. dan. 499. F. verna, Huds. 244. D. C. syst. 1. 

 p. 304. Flowers golden yellow. The young leaves of this plant, 

 according to Linnaeus, are sometimes used as greens in Sweden. 

 The particular form of the roots probably recommended this 

 plant as a cure for the piles, hence its English name Pilewort. 

 These roots or tubercles lie near the surface, and are sometimes 

 laid bare by the rains, and in this state have induced the ignorant, 

 under the influence of superstition, to fancy that it rained wheat, 

 which the tubercles somewhat resemble. The plant is injurious 

 in moist grass lands, but is effectually destroyed by a dressing 

 of coal or wood ashes. We usually find the flower closed from 

 five in the evening to nine in the morning, and in wet weather. 



Var. ft, multiplex ; flowers double yellow. 

 Cronfoot-like Pile-wort or Lesser Celandine. Fl. April. Bri- 

 tain. PI. ^ to ^ foot. 



2 F. GLACIA V LIS (Fisch. in litt. icon.) roots fibrous, fascicled ; 

 leaves ovate; scapes naked, 1 -flowered; sepals 5. I/ . H. 

 Native of Dauria on the top of Mount Tchockondo. Caltha 

 glacialis, Spreng. syst. 2. p. 660. Stamens and ovaries nume- 

 rous, about the length of the calyx. Fruit unknown. Having 

 the petals of Ficaria, but differing in the calyx being of 5 leaves. 

 Habit of Caltha appendiculata, D. C. syst. 1. p. 305. 



Icy Pilewort. Fl. April ? PI. -| foot. 



Cult. Ficaria will thrive well in any common garden soil, and 

 will succeed best under the shade of trees. The double variety 

 of F. Ranunculoides is a very desirable plant. They are easily 

 increased by separating the tubers of the roots in the autumn. 



Tribe IV. 



HELLE'BORE; (plants agreeing with Helleborus,) D. C. 

 syst. 1. p. 306. prod. 1. p. 44. Calyx and corolla imbri- 

 cated in the bud (f. 14. a.) Petals sometimes wanting (f. 10. a.) 

 sometimes irregular, bilabiate, nectariferous (f. 11. e. f. 12. 6.) 

 Calyx of 5 petal-like sepals (f. 11. b. f. 12. a.) Carpels capsular, 

 opening on the inside (f. 11. c. f. 12. c.) many-seeded. 



XVIII. CA'LTHA (a syncope of icaXaSoc, kalathos, a goblet, 

 in allusion to the form of the corolla, which may be likened to a 

 golden cup.) Pers. ench. 2. p. 107. D. C. syst. 1. p. 306. prod, 

 l.p. 44. 



LIN. SYST. Polyandria, Polygjnia. Calyx coloured, of 5 or- 

 bicular petal-like sepals (f. 1 0. a.) Petals wanting ; stamens 

 numerous (f. 10. b.~) Ovaries 5 to 10. Capsules 5 to 10 com- 

 pressed, spreading, 1 -celled, many-seeded. Herbs perennial, 

 very smooth, somewhat acrid. Flowers golden coloured, and 

 their juice gives a yellow colour to butter. C. natans has white 

 flowers. 



The English name of the genus Marsh Marigold is given to 

 it because the species inhabit humid places, and in the flowers 

 resembling those of the Marigold. 



FIG. 10. 



SECT. I. PSYCHROPHILA (i//i/xpoc, psychros, cold, and <f>t\eu>, 

 phileo, to love ; inhabitants of cold countries,) D. C. syst. l.p. 

 307. prod. 1. p. 44. Calyx permanent. Scapes 1-flowered. 

 Radical leaves halbert-shaped, with the appendages rising up- 

 wards. 



1 C. APPENDICULA'TA (Pers. 

 ench. 2. p. 107.) scape 1-flowered, 

 very short; leaves trifid ; wedge- 

 shaped ; sepals 5 ; pistils 8. If. . 

 H. W. Native on humid moun- 

 tains in the Straits of Magellan, 

 and on subalpine hills in Terra 

 del Fuego. C. paradoxa, Sol. 

 mss. Forst. Lin. soc. trans. 8. p. 

 34. Two lateral lobes of leaves 

 elevated in the form of appendages. 

 Scapes length of leaves. Sepals 

 oblong-lanceolate marcescent (f. 

 10.) 



4ppendiculate-\eaved Marsh 

 Marigold. PI. \ foot. 



2 C. SAGITTA'TA (Cav. icon. 5. no. 456. t. 414.) scape 1- 

 flowered ; leaves halbert-shaped, auricled ; auricles indexed ; 

 sepals 9-10 ; pistils 25. 1J. . F. W. Native at PortEgmont, in 

 one of the Falkland islands, and in rivulets at Success Bay in 

 South America. C. multicapsularis, Sol. mss. Forst. Lin. 

 soc. trans. 8. p. 324. Flowers yellow. Stamens one-half shorter 

 than the ovate blunt sepals. 



Halbert-leaved Marsh Marigold. PI. ^ foot. 



3 C. KAMTSCHA'TICA (Spreng. syst. 2. p. 666.) scape 1-flower- 

 ed ; leaves ovate, quite entire, somewhat 3-nerved ; outer sepals 

 5, inner ones deciduous ; carpels 1 -seeded. 7{.. H. Native of 

 Kamtschatka. R. Kamchaticus, D. C. syst. 1. p. 43. prod. 1. 

 p. 48. Flowers yellow. Perhaps Ficaria glacialis will prove 

 to be a species of Caltha. 



Kamtschatka Marsh Marigold. PI. ^ foot. 



SECT. II. POPULA'GO (from populus, the poplar-tree, in allu- 

 sion to the species growing in humid places among poplar-trees, 

 or perhaps from the shape of the leaves, which they some- 

 what resemble.) Tourn. inst. 273. t. 145. D. C. syst. 1. p. 308. 

 prod. 1. p. 44. Caltha, Lin. gen. no. 703. Calyx deciduous. 

 Stems leafy. Leaves cordate or kidney-shaped, with the auricles 

 not indexed. 



4 C. PALU'STRIS (Lin. spec. 784.) stem erect ; leaves cordate, 

 somewhat orbicular, roundly-crenate, with rounded auricles. 

 % . H. W. Native almost throughout the whole of Europe, as 

 well as of Western Asia and North America, in marshy meadows, 

 and about the margins of ponds, rivers, and brooks. Fl. dan. 

 668. Smith, engl. bot. 506. Curt. lond. fasc. 1. t. 40. Stems 

 dichotomous ; peduncles furrowed. Flowers large golden-co- 

 loured, and if gathered before they expand are said to be a good 

 substitute for capers. The juice of the petals boiled with alum 

 stains paper yellow. Cows will not eat it, unless compelled by 

 extreme hunger ; it is therefore a vulgar notion wholly unfounded, 

 that the yellowness of butter in the spring is caused by this 

 plant. Boerhaave says, that when kine eat the plant it occasions 

 such an inflammation, that they generally die. 



Far. ft, multiplex ; flowers double. I/ . H. W. Cultivated 

 in gardens. 



Var. y, minor (Mill. diet. no. 2.) stem generally 1-flowered, 

 ascending. %. H. Native of the north of England and Scot- 

 land on the tops of mountains, in marshy places. This plant in 

 a wild state does not exceed in size the Ficaria ranunculoldes, 

 but when cultivated it grows to the size of C. radtcans, bearing 



G2 



