THE CROWFOOT FAMILY. 1S5 



with five oblong, rather short petals. Ac/u-m-s: growing in a globose or slightly 

 oblong head and tipped with a recurved, hook-like remnant <,f the style itsal 

 leaves: with long petioles; renifonn; tapering at the base, crenate or somewhat 

 lobed not divKled. ^tem-ieaves: long-petioled, or the upper ones sessile divided 

 into linear divisions entire or toothed and cleft at their apices. SU;n : one to 

 two feet high ; branched ; glabrous. 



This crowfoot chooses to grow in higher and dryer ground than those al- 

 ready mentioned. Through its range it is therefore found in the mountains 

 where, being similar to the next species with which it frequently grows, it is 

 doubtless often overlooked by the llower seeker, as it differs but slightly from 

 its protege except in the long, hook-like remnant of the style tipping the 

 achene. 



R. ahbrii7'Hs, kidney-leaved crowfoot, a nearly smooth plant, affects either 

 a dry soil, or that of the moist woods. Sometimes it grows as high as two 

 feet and is well branched. Its broadly cordate, or reniform basal leaves 

 with their long, slender petioles are small and very pretty. Occasionally 

 they are lobed, but more often crenate. The stem leaves are sessile and 

 divided deeply into linear lobes, while noticeably shorter than the retlexed 

 sepals are the blossom's yellow petals, 



R. inicrcmthiis, rock crowfoot which grows in rich rocky ground, appears 

 to be very closely related to the kidney-leaved crow'foot. Its basal leaves, 

 however, are mostly ovate and the plant is densely covered with fine silky 

 white hairs. Of the upper leaves the segments are narrow, in fact, almost 

 linear. 



HOOKED CROWFOOT. 



RiDiuiiciilus rccurvaiiis. 



Calyx: reflexed. Corolla: with five petals, somewhat shorter than or equalling 

 the sepals. Aclienes: forming a globose head, pointed and tipped with a slender, 

 recurved hook, liasal and cauline leaves with long jnibescent peduncles ; reni- 

 form, i^ointedat the apex and deeply cordate at the base, tiie thrice, deeplv cleft di- 

 visions lobed and toothed and somewhat hairy on the upper surfaces, below gla- 

 brous, or nearly so. Slcni : eight inches to two feet high; erect; branching; hairy. 



The hooked crowfoot is not a very pretty plant, but as it and those that 

 follow belong to a group characterised by hispid or pubescent stems and 

 lobed, or divided leaves, it may serve us as a type for study. Through the 

 thickets of low grounds, or often in woods it rears its pale yellow heads. 



R. hispidus, hispid buttercup, which extends well northward from Georgia, 

 is more the conventional type of buttercup than those which have hereto- 

 fore claimed our attention. It is one which children pull to see if their 

 companions love butter, and blossoms in earliest spring. Its large 



