446 



RAN 



THE UNIVERSAL HERBAL; 



RAN 



14. Ranunculus Cymbalaria ; Small Trailing Crowfoot. 

 Plant glabrous, very small, filiform, creeping, taking root at 

 the joints; leaves cordate-remform, obtusely quinquedentated; 

 peduncles radical, solitary, for the most part two-flowered ; 

 petals linear, pale yellow, and sometimes white; fruit oblong. 

 Grows in saline marshes near the salt-works of Onondago, 

 New York, and flowers in June and July. 



15. Ranunculus Muricatus. Plant without hair, diffuse; 

 leaves simple, subrotund, trilobate; calixof the width of the 

 corolla; flowers yellow. Grows in the old fields of Virginia 

 and Carolina, and flowers in June and July. 



16. Ranunculus Echinatus. Plant without hair, simple ; 

 leaves simple, subrotund, trilobate ; petals as long again as 

 the calix ; flowers yellow, more than twice the size of the 

 preceding one. Grows in Charleston, South Carolina. 



** With dissected and divided Leaves. 



17. Ranunculus Creticus; Cretan Crowfoot. Root-leaves 

 kidney-form, crenate, sublobate ; stem-leaves three-parted, 

 lanceolate, quite entire ; stem many-flowered. Root peren- 

 nial, of many thick, tapering, fleshy fibres; stem thick, mo- 

 derately branched, eighteen inches high, hairy, as well as the 

 rest of the herbage ; flowers yellow. It flowers early in 

 June; and is a native of the island of Oandia or Crete. 



18. Ranunculus Cassabicus. Root-leaves roundish-cordate, 

 crenate ; stem-leaves digitate, toothed ; stem many-flowered. 

 Flowers small, yellow. Native of Germany and Siberia. 



19. Ranunculus Auricomus; Wood Crowfoot, or Goldi- 

 locks. Root-leaves kidney-form, three-parted, crenate ; stem- 

 leaves digitate, linear; stem many-flowered; calix coloured. 

 Root fibrous, perennial ; flowers terminating, erect, solitary, 

 of a bright golden hue, on round pubescent peduncles. In 

 cold backward seasons, in gardens in unsheltered situations, 

 and in more northern countries, the real petals are sometimes 

 wanting, the calix being dilated and more coloured that) usual, 

 so as to supply their place. It has been called Goldilocks 

 and Sweet Wood Crowfoot : the epithet Sweet being intended 

 to express that it has none of the acrid or caustic flavour usual 

 in this genus ; the term Wood expresses its place of growth. 

 It is easily distinguished from the other Wild Crowfoots, by 

 its yellow patulous calix ; the nakedness of its nectary, which 

 is a small oblique hole running downwards at the base of 

 each petal ; by the bottom-leaves being less cut, and the 

 upper ones narrower than in most of the others ; and by the 

 petals being often wanting. It sometimes has double flowers. 

 Native of woods and shady places throughout Europe. 



20. Ranunculus Abortivus. Root-leaves cordate, crenate; 

 stem-leaves ternate, angular; stem subtriflorous. Native of 

 Virginia and Canada. 



21. Ranunculus Sceleratus; Marsh or Celery-leaved 'Crow- 

 foot. Lower leaves palmate ; upper digitate; fruits oblong. 



Root annual, composed of many whitish fibres; herb various 

 in size and luxuriance, of a pale shining green colour, juicy, 

 and very smooth, except the flower-stalks and upper part 

 of the stem, which are occasionally hairy ; flowers numerous, 

 peduncled, small, of a palish yellow. This species is easily 

 distinguished by its broad shining bottom leaves, thick stalk, 

 small yellow flowers, and smooth oblong seed-heads. It is 

 one of the most virulent of native plants : bruised and applied 

 to the skin, it soon raises a blister, and creates a sore by no 

 means easy to heal. When chewed, it inflames the tongue, 

 and produces very violent effects. Common in watery places, 

 in most parts of Europe and North America ; flowering and 

 seeding from July to August. 



22. Ranunculus Aconitifolius ; Aconite-leaved Crowfoot. 

 Leaves five-lobed, toothed ; lobes acuminate, the interme- 

 diate ones trifid; floral leaves digitate, sessile, lanceolate. 



This is a very handsome species, four feet high, and branched; 

 stem hollow within. Native of the European Alps. The 

 double-flowering variety has been obtained by seeds, and is 

 preserved in many curious gardens for the beauty of its flow- 

 ers. Some gardeners call it, Fair Maid of France. The 

 flowers are pure white and very double, each standing upon 

 a short footstalk. It is easily propagated by parting the 

 roots in autumn. 



23. Ranunculus Platanifolius ; Plane-leaved Crowfoot. 

 Leaves five-lobed, toothed; lobes blunt, the intermediate 

 ones trifid, the upper floral ones digitate, sessile, linear, sub- 

 ulate. Native of the mountains of Germany and Italy. 



24. Ranunculus Illyricus ; Illyrian Crowfoot. Leaves 

 silky, villose ; ternate leaflets trifid, gashed, quite entire ; 

 calix reflex: Root tuberous ; stem a foot high, round, upright, 

 divided at top into a few one-flowered peduncles. Native of 

 dry hilly pastures in the south of Europe. 



25. Ranunculus Pennsylvanicus ; Pennsylvanian Crowfoot. 

 Calices reflex; stem upright; leaves ternate, trifid, gashed, 

 hairy underneath. It is an annual or biennial. Native of 

 Canada and Pennsylvania. 



26. Ranunculus Ternatus ; 7'ernate-leaved Crowfoot. All 

 the leaves ternate ; leaflets trifid ; stem many-flowered ; cali- 

 ces reflex. Native of Japan. 



27. Ranunculus Asiaticus ; Persian Crowfoot, or Garden 

 Ranunculus. Leaves ternate and biternate ; leaflets trifid, 

 gashed; stem hairy, branched. Root perennial, of numerous, 

 brown, fleshy, tapering knobs ; stem twelve or fifteen inches 

 high, erect, round, downy, branched from the middle or 

 lower part, bearing from three to five large long-stalked 

 flowers. In a wild or single state the large and splendid 

 petals are of a vivid crimson, occasionally varying to yellow. 

 The flowers appear in May; and in moderate seasons, or 

 where they are shaded from the sun in the heat of the day, 

 there will be a succession at least during a month. Mr. Mil- 

 ler thinks this flower came originally from Persia. Since it 

 has been in Europe, innumerable varieties have been obtained 

 from seed, particularly of semi-double flowers: these are so 

 large, and of so many beautiful colours, as to exceed most 

 other flowers of their season, and even to vie with the Car- 

 nation itself. Many of them are finely scented, and the 

 strong roots generally produce from twenty to thirty flowers in 

 succession ; hence it has been highly valued and admired. 

 Culture. All the very double flowers do not produce seeds, 

 and are only multiplied by offsets from their roots, which they 

 generally produce in great plenty, if planted in a good soil, 

 and duly attended to in winter. The beds in which they 

 should be planted, must be made with fresh, light, sandy 

 earth, at least three feet deep. The best soil for them may 

 be composed as follows : Take a quantity of fresh earth from 

 a rich upland pasture, about six inches deep, together with 

 the green sward ; this should be laid in a heap for twelve 

 months to rot before it is mixed, observing to break the clods 

 in turning it very often to sweeten it: to this add a fourth 

 part of very rotten cow-dung, and a proportionable quantity 

 of sea or drift sand, according as the earth is lighter or stiffer; 

 if it be light and inclined to a sand, there should be no sand 

 added ; but if it be a hazel loam, one load of sand will be 

 sufficient for eight loads of earth ; but if the earth be strong 

 and heavy, the sand should be added in a greater propor- 

 tion : this also should be mixed eight months or a year be- 

 fore it is used, and should be often turned over, in order to 

 unite the parts well together before it is put into the beds. 

 The depth which this soil should be laid in the beds, is three 

 feet below the surface, according to the ground ; for in dry 

 ground two feet eight inches below the surface will be suffi- 



