RANUNCULUS 



glabrous or at first with h .iry edges soon becoming 

 glabrous, glaucous: fls. 3-b, either terminal or axillary, 

 pur<> white, with yellow stamens: sepals pointed: pet- 

 als much larger, obtuse. Mts. of S. E. Eu. B.M. 26G 

 (poor). L.B.C. 16:1593. J.H. III. 35:34.5. G.C. II. 

 19:788. 



2. adoneus, Gray. Plant shaggy-hairy, 4-12 in. high, 

 sometimes becoming decumbent: root slender-fibrous: 

 Ivs. usually 2-3-times 3-parted and lobed; lobes all nar- 

 row-linear, acute ; primary divisions of Ivs. sessile or 

 nearly ^o petioles of basal Ivs membranous in lower 

 part, stem Ivs ses«iile or on a sheathmg base, usualh 

 borne opposite n seni1 liii., m iin Uku ](tals5(or(> 

 to 8), III- I I I 1 I I I ite at base 

 much e\ i li ire hairj 

 beneath utish, st\le 

 long, sti u I 1 mill I II II i I ing bum 

 mer Roiku - "t L..I iliiiu 1 id u.io a - Int 1881 

 Procurable trom dealeib in Coloiadu plants 



3. iSpens, Lmn Plant more or less hairy spreadmg 

 by lunners roots fibious fl stems, ofttn ascending 0- 

 12 in h- petioled, 3 divided, middle 1ft oi all Ifts 

 stalked, often again 3 -lobed or cleft, and somewhat 

 coarse-toothed, bases cuneate or truncate: petals obo- 

 vate, 5-6 lines long ; sepals much shorter, spreading, 

 hairy beIow:akenes compressed, margined; beak short, 

 stout, slightly bent: head globose. May-July. Low 

 places, from Nova Scotia and Newfoundland to Va. and 

 westward; also Eu. and Asia.— A double-flowered form 

 ( var. flore p?eno), Fig. 2076, is not uncommon in gardens. 



4. mont&nus, Willd. Mountaix BrTTERCCP. Plant 

 6 In. high, pubescent, with soft appressed or spreading 

 hairs, especially toward the top : rootstock creeping, 

 1-3 ill. hiirb. '3 in. thick: radical Ivs. few, petiolate, 

 Mil "i!!i. Mill, iilar in outline, 3-parted, and lobed into 

 1.: ■ .'iiients; stem-lvs. sessile or nearly so, 

 ,! . -Mill. 3-5-parted into narrow .somewhat 

 i,„,;iM.i . , , MiiM lobes: fls. solitary, tprminating the 

 siiiiplr 1)1- (iiicf-liviinr-lu'l =fini, 1 in. ruT"--. or larger; 



RANUNCULUS 



1499 



sei.i 



ith 



petals 5, larue. In-. - \ 



small scale and i".i. .. :, . ; . . 1 ^n I, glabrous; 

 beak strongly houLM.!. ijuL.Mnl. ni . 3I;.y-.Tuly. Eu. 

 B.M. 3022. L.B.C. 17:1610. 



Var. dentatus, Baumg. (J?. Carpdticus, Herbich). 

 Lvs. much more toothed than in the type: plant much 

 taller: fls. larger. B.M. 7266. Gn. 52:1138. 



5. bulbdsus, Linn. {B. specidsus, Hort.). Plant from 

 a true bulb, erect, about 1 ft. high, hairy: lvs. petioled, 

 3-5-parted, the divisions sometimes stalked: segments 

 lobed : fls. terminating the branches, bright yellow, 

 large ; petals large, obovate, shining above ; sepals 

 much smaller, often reflexed: akenes compressed, with 

 short beak, and borne in a globose head. Spring and 

 summer. Persia, Eu., N. Africa.— The double form is 

 perhaps best suited for cultivation. 



6. SOksdorfii, Gray. Roots fibrous: stems slender, 

 3-6 in. high, glabrous, radical and lowest stem - lvs. 

 small, about 6-8 lines long, subreniform to broadly fla- 

 belliform, with truncate base, deeply 3-5 -cleft or 

 parted; divisions cuneate, again 2-5-cleft or incised; 

 upper stem-lvs. with linear divisions : fls. 1-3, deep yel- 

 low; petals round-obovate, retuse: akenes turgid-len- 

 ticular, sharp-edged, glabrous; style persistent for a 

 time, slender, % line long, equaling the akene body: 

 head of fruit globular. Julv, Aug. Damp places, 6,000- 

 8,000 ft. altitude; Mts. of Wash., Oreg. and Mont. -This 

 rare species was oft'ered by F. H. Horsford in 1889. 



7. AsWticus, Linn. Fig. 2077. Plant erect, either 

 simple or branched, %-l ft. high: roots fleshy: lvs. 

 petiolate, becoming sessile upwardly, teruate or biter- 

 nate; segments toothed or deeply 3-lobed: fls. termi- 

 nating the stems and branches, variable in color among 

 the cultivated forms; calyx spreading, becoming re- 

 flexed ; petals large, obovate, blunt : fr. in a spike. 

 May, June. Asia Minor. F.S. 16:1079 (fl. pi.). R.B. 

 16:133 (var. superbisshnus). -Mighly bred double fls. 

 of many kinds are in cult. Roots are sold as "bulbs." 

 The Persian and Turban Ranunculuses belong here, 



8. orthorhjnchus, Hook. Plant 10-18 in. high, erect, 

 branched, hirsute to nearly glabrous : root thick, flbrous : 



margined ; style of 



2077. Persian Ranunculus— R. Asiaticus (X %)■ 



ent: head globose. May-July. Wet places, Brit. Col. to 

 Ore. and Mont. — Var. platyphyllus, Gray (B. mdxi- 

 mtis, Greene). Often 3 ft. or more high: lvs. larger, 

 2-4 in. across; Ifts. often 3 in. long, and laciniately cut: 

 petals often larger than the type. 



9. cortassfdlius, Willd. Root of thick, fleshy, fascic- 

 ulated fibers: plant velvety hairy, 1-3 ft. high: lower 

 lvs. long-petioled, roundish to reniform, incised, and 

 with cut and toothed lobes; stem-lvs. divided into 3-5 

 narrow lobes; upper ones sessile: fls. several or many, 

 terminal and axillary, rather paiii<'iilatc; sepals 5, ovate 

 to laureolate, greenVitli pale imirL'iiis: petals 5, large, 

 broadly olioTate,gli>ssyyell.iw: akiiics compressed, hairy 

 on sides, tapering into recurved stvles nearly their own 

 length ; head of fruit short-oval. May. Island of Ten- 

 eriffe, Canary group. Int. 1893. Gn. 45:944. B.M. 4625. 

 —Not very hardy and needs protection in winter and 

 early spring. It is well suited for pot culture. It is in- 

 creased by division of the roots in autumn. 



