78 NATURAL mSTORY OF PLAXTS. 



scent. The yellow colouring matter of the perianth of certain 

 Crowfoots, and of the Marsh-marigold, are said to be used to colour 

 butter. Many of tlie Hanuncidacece, especially those with double 

 flowers,' serve to deck our gardens. Ranunculus and Anemone 

 were among the six flowers which the botanists of last century 

 deemed alone worthy of cultivation in the parterre. The species 

 of C/<-niatls are prized as climbers to cover arbours and walls. 



Not less are the Pa?onies appreciated in our gardens for the size 

 and splendour of their petals, the sweet perfume they often give out, 

 and the beauty of the fruits when half open. The male and female 

 Pa?onies {P. coraUina and nflicinnlis) were formerly higlily valued 

 medicines.- Stone, colic, icterus, the severest neuroses, epilepsy, con- 

 vulsions, mania, the bite of venomous animals, abscesses — in short, 

 nearly every known disease was thought to be cured by them. Now 

 they are hardly used at all. The rootstock is somewhat astringent ; 

 the petals serve for making a distilled water and syrup of slightly 

 sedative action; the seeds are emetic and cathartic. It is not 

 known why necklaces made of them possess in certain districts the 

 reputation of facilitating the dentition of children. 



Since the time of Kuapfen, it has been remarked that the irritant 

 principle in the RanuncuIacecB has so little stability as to be usually dis- 

 sipated by heat.boiling, or drying. The vegetable acids,and sometimes 

 water alone, will destroy it ; while its action is said to be increased 

 by wine, alcohol, honey, and sugar. It does not exist in organs not 

 fully developed, which explains how, in some countries, people have 

 been able to use the young shoots of Clematis, Ficaria, and several 

 Baniniculi properly so called, as aliments.' It would be prudent to 

 exclude every plant of this order from our articles of food. It has 

 often been remarked how strange it is that the RanunculacecB,so closely 

 analogous to the Fapaveracca in most features of their organization, 

 are yet almost all unprovided with the abundant milky juice, pos- 

 sessing quite peculiar properties, found in a large number of the 

 latter. However, the existence of laticil'erous vessels has been pointed 

 out in several of the RannnculacecB* 



• In Seemann'b Journal of Botany (1864), aqualUis nre used aa fodder in Eiiglnnd nnd 



(177), will be found an enumeration of uU the culti- Alaacc. It apimars tliiit the seeiU of m'verHl 



vuted HiKJcies of this order with double ttowern. I'moniiMi aie ulito cooked and eat«»n. (Duciiesnk, 



- (juiBOUUT, op. cil., 7Ul. /. cit.) 



' Ranunculwi nuricomun and ianut/!nosti.t * Scihi.tz (C. II.), AJmi. Cin: (1S31)), 35, 



are boiled and eaton. The dry leaves of li. 11, '.iii. 



