RANUNCULUS 



RANUNCULUS 



2907 



apex; the others ternately or biternately cut, segms. 

 ovate or oblong, toothed or deeply trifid, sometimes 

 many-fid: fls. 1-4 to a St., of many various colors; 

 sepals spreading; petals large, obovate, very obtuse, 

 much exceeding the calyx: achenes papery-compressed, 

 oblong, glabrous, attenuate to a much shorter beak 

 which is hooked and black at the tip; head of achenes 

 cylindrical. May, June. S. E. Eu., Asia Minor, Syria 

 aid Persia. F.S. 16:1679 (fl.-pl.). G.M. 49:13. Very 

 variable; the common garden ranunculus of which 

 there are several highly developed strains, many of 

 which are very double. The fleshy roots are sold as 



3341. Persian ranunculus. R. asiaticus. (XH) 



bulbs. The cult, forms of R. asiaticus are constantly 

 increasing in number. They are of two main types: 

 (1) The florists' section, called PERSIAN RANUNCULI, or 

 true R. asialicus. These require more care than the 

 others. They are very variable in form and color, and 

 are the most highly cult, members of the genus. (2) 

 The gardeners' section, called TURBAN RANUNCULI, 

 or var. africanus, Hort. (R. afrieanus, Hort,). Com- 

 pared with the first section, these have larger, broader, 

 3-parted Ivs., not so much cut: fls. larger and broader, 

 with many crisp petals, not flat and spreading but erect 

 and curved inward, forming a spherical fl., as in the 

 double peonies. Var. superbissimus, Hort., is a 

 taller-growing very large semi-double-fld. form. July- 

 Sept. R.B. 16:133. 



8. cortussefolius, Willd. Perennial, 1-3 ft, high, 

 velvety hairy: roots thick, fleshy, fascicled: sts. 

 branched, corymbose above: lower Ivs. long-petioled, 

 subcordately reniform, incised lobes cut and dentate; 

 cauline Ivs. nearly sessile, 3-5-lobed, lobes narrow; 

 floral Ivs. sessile, lanceolate: fls. several to many in a 

 terminal and axillary rather paniculate infl., yellow; 

 sepals 5, ovate to lanceolate, spreading, green with pale 

 margins; petals 5, large, broadly obovate, glossy: 

 achenes compressed, hairy on sides, tapering into 

 recurved beaks, nearly their own length; head of achenes 

 short-ovoid. May. Lsl. of Teneriffe, Canary Isls. B.M. 

 4625. Gn. 45:28. Gn.W. 8:517. J.F. 3:239. Not 

 very hardy and needs protection in winter and early 

 spring. It is well suited for pot culture. It is increased 

 by division of the roots in autumn. 



9. glacialis, linn. Perennial, 3-6 in. high: sts. red- 

 dish brown, 1-3-fld.: lower Ivs. petioled, rather fleshy, 

 palmately 3-parted or 3-cleft, lobes trifid, or again 

 lobed, the lobules rather obtuse; the other Ivs. similar 

 but sessile and involucrate: sepals very hirsute; petals 

 obovate to cuneate, obtuse, white or reddish: achenes 

 very numerous, obliquely obovate, slightly compressed, 

 smooth, glabrous, margin above membranaceous- 

 winged; beak straight; receptacle glabrous. May- 

 Aug. Alpine Eu., Arctic regions, Greenland. Gn. 45, 

 p. 28; 48, p. 501. G.C. in. 53:117. With age the 

 fls. become coppery red. 



10. Matthewsii, Cheesm. Perennial, 15-20 in. high, 

 glabrous or a few weak hairs on the petioles and pedun- 

 cles: radical Ivs. reniform or orbicular ternate-cut, the 

 main divisions petioluled, coarsely toothed or lobed; 

 petioles stout, 3-9 in. long; cauline Ivs. sessile, deeply 

 toothed or lobed: fls. 1-4, large, pure white, sweet- 

 scented, 2Ji-3 in. across; sepals 5, slightly villous, 

 reflexed; petals numerous, 12-20, oblong-cuneate, 

 rounded at apex; gland solitary, large and basilar: 

 achenes forming an oblong-globose head H m - r more 

 diam., turgid, pilose, beak long, subulate. New Zeal. 

 Gn. 78, p. 2. 



11. aconitifolius, Linn. Perennial, 6 in. to 3 ft. high, 

 pubescent: sts. branched: Ivs. palmately 3^-5-parted; 

 segms. incise-dentate; upper Ivs. sessile with linear- 

 lanceolate lobes: fls. white, several to a st.; sepals 

 flat, glabrous; petals oblong, cuneate or orbicular: 

 achenes 6-15, obovate, laterally subcompressed, nerved, 

 glabrous, beak straight, recurved at the top; receptacle 

 villous. May, June. Mountains of Cent. Eu. Gn. 70, p. 

 135. G.M. 45:196. Var. fldre-pleno, Hort. (R. aconiti- 

 folius var. plenus, Hort.), called WHITE BACHELOR'S 

 BUTTON and FAIR MAIDS OF FRANCE, has large double 

 white fls. Gn. 45, p. 29; 48, p. 506; 65, p. 24. G. 4:415; 

 10:411; 36:226. Var. Iftteo-plenus, Hort,, has double 

 golden yellow fls. This species and its varieties are 

 well adapted for border planting. 



12. alpestris, Linn. Perennial, 3-6 in. high: st. 

 usually 1-fld. : Ivs. petioled, orbicular-cordate, 3-lobed, 

 lobes rather obtuse, lobate-crenate at the top, some- 

 times the Ivs. are trifid or hardly so; this is true of the 

 sessile cauline ones: sepals glabrous, spreading; petals 5, 

 white, rounded-obcordate, emarginate: achenes obo- 

 vate-globose, glossy, glabrous; beak straight, hooked at 

 the summit. Mountains of Eu. 



13. rutaefdlius, Linn. Perennial, 3-6 in. high: st. 

 usually 1- rarely 2-3-fld.: Ivs. pinnately cut, lobes 3- 

 lobed, incisely many-cleft: sepals glabrous; petals 8-10, 

 white, sometimes suffused with yellow toward the base, 

 oblong, claw orange: achenes obliquely ovate, reticu- 

 late-rugose, emarginate; beak short and curved. May- 

 Aug. Alpine Eu. and Siberia. 



14. amplexicaulis, Linn. Perennial, 3-12 in. high: 

 sts. erect, glabrous, with 2-3 flowering branches : lys. 

 oval-lanceolate, acuminate, amplexicaul, at first with 

 hairy edges soon becoming glabrous, glaucous: fls. 



