RANUNCULACEAE 



CROWFOOT FAMILY 



SWAMP BUTTERCUP 



Ranunculus septentrionalis Poir. 



This species grows 1-3 feet high in swamps and other moist 

 or shady places. It is found from New Brunswick to Manitoba 

 and south to Georgia and Texas. 



The roots are fi- 

 brous and not fleshy. 

 The stem, smooth or 

 hairy, produces from 

 the lower part num- 

 bers of radiating 

 stolons I -3 feet long 

 that root at the joints. 

 The leaves are com- 

 pound and each of the 

 3 leaflets has 3 lobes 

 variously toothed and 

 notched. The lower 

 leaves are extremely 

 long petioled. 



The flowers are 

 produced from April 

 to August. The petals 

 are bright yellow and 

 much larger than the 

 green spreading sep- 

 als. Stamens and 

 pistils are numerous 



as in all Buttercups. The mature akene has winglike margins 

 and is tipped by a stout, slightly curved beak, as long as the 

 fruit itself, which falls off at or near maturity. 



The Bristly Crowfoot, Ranunculus hispidus Michx., resembles 

 the Swamp Buttercup but is more compact. There are no stolons 

 and the stem is covered with long bristly hairs, although a smooth- 

 ish form is known. The leaves are 3-divided or the basal 3-lobed; 

 the divisions or the lobes are variously cut. The bright yellow 

 petals are oblong and greatly exceed the spreading sepals. The 

 plant is common in the southern part of Illinois. Its general range is 

 from \'ermont to North Dakota and south to Georgia and Arkansas. 



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