RANUNCULACEyE l63 



skirts of woods and even in open borders, as it can endure 

 full sun though preferring complete or partial shade. 

 Any ordinary garden soil will satisfy its needs, but, being 

 a deep rooter, it resents disturbance. 



Ranunculus 



"Eng.: Buttercup; Fr. : Rcnoncule; Ger. : Hahnenfuss. 



Flowers solitary, yellow, white or rose, with 5 sepals 

 and 5 petals or more; carpels terminated by a point or 

 short beak. The genus is very variable and widely distrib- 

 uted and comparatively few are worthy of introduction 

 into garden cultivation. In addition to all the English 

 lowland species, Switzerland contains a considerable 

 number of true alpines, of which the best, perhaps, are 

 acomtifoliut, alpestris, glacialis, parnassifolius, pyrenxus, 

 rutxfolius (for its magnificent foliage rather than for the 

 flowers, which are dull and inferior to those of alpestris). 

 Amplexicaulis, bilobus and gramineus are also good moun- 

 tain types. Speaking generally all love moist situations 

 or rather a moraine-like formation, with abundant trickling 

 water in summer and dryness in winter. Acomtifoliu*, 

 however, and platanifolius are haunters of shady and boggy 

 ground. As regards sun, the majority are lovers of it, 

 but glossiness of leaf indicates a preference for shade; 

 the hairy-leaved species are sun-lovers. The runners 

 formed by cherished kinds should be carefully pegged 

 down and covered with light top-dressing and all varieties 

 benefit by periodic division and replanting. Propagation, 

 also, by seed is not difficult. 



7^. alpestris (PI . IV). A glabrous plant, with glossy leaves, 

 deeply cleft and with strongly marked nerves; flowers 



furest white; petals slightly crenate; stamens yellow. 

 une-July: on rocky places of the calcareous Alps and 



