Wild Flowers East of the Rockies 121 



CREEPING BUTTERCUP (Ranunculus repens) is, 



as per its name, a creeping plant. The stem is pros- 

 trate, creeping along the ground and striking new 

 roots from the junctions of the leaf and flower stems 

 with the main one. The flowers are large and broad- 

 petalled, both the petals and stamens being a deep 

 shining golden yellow. This species is indigenous 

 in the West, but probably introduced from Europe in 

 the East, where it is found chiefly near the coast, in 

 ditches or along the edges of marshes. 



SWAMP BUTTERCUP (R. septentrionalis) is an- 

 other of the Crowfoots that chooses the wettest of 

 places for its habitat. Its stem is hairy, ascending, 

 from 1 to 2 1-2 feet high. In very wet places some of 

 the stems are usually recumbent and form runners. 

 The leaves are on long petioles, and are 3-parted, each 

 division being stemmed and further divided, notched 

 or slashed. The flowers are rather large, for Butter- 

 cups, with broad, oval, shining yellow petals, spread- 

 ing much wider than the sepals. It is common in 

 moist or shady places throughout our range, flowering 

 from May to August. 



COMMON BUTTERCUP; CROWFOOT (R. acris) 

 (EUROPEAN). Even though we have quantities of 

 native Buttercups, it is this handsome foreigner that 

 is the most abundant; this is the species that is found 

 in fields everywhere, the one that delights the little 

 folks and figures in many of their childish games. 

 The opposite picture shows well the character of the 

 flower and its leaves, but paint cannot be made to do 

 justice to the dazzling, shining, golden yellow But- 

 tercup. 



The leaves and stems of the Crowfoots are very 

 acrid, but not poisonous; on this account they are 

 shunned by cattle and horses. This accounts in 

 part for their abundance in most fields and pas- 

 tures. 



