<s-de 
“The Bo Tat see eee 
The ftalks are round, weak, jointed, and ten 
inches or a foot long. 
The leaves grow irregularly on them, and re- 
femble thofe from the root. 
The flowers are fmall, and yellow, with a tuft 
of pale threads. 
The feeds ftand in a slitele naked head ; and are 
large and prickly. 
It isa native of the warm parts of Europe, 
and the eaft; and loves damp ground. 
J. Bauhine calls it Ranunculus paluftris echinatus. 
Others Ranunculus echinatus creticus. 
4. Broad nervous-leaved Crowfoot. 
Ranunclus lato et nervofe folio. 
The root is compofed of a clufter of very 
thick fibres. 
The firft leaves are five inches long, two broad, 
perfectly entire, and blunt at the end, with the 
ribs running lengthwife; fo that in all refpects 
they refemble thofe of plantain. 
The ftalk is fingle, round, firm, and a foot 
high. 
“The leaves ftand alternately upon it, and fur- 
round it at the bafe. They refemble thofe from 
the root in all refpeéts, but that they are fmaller. 
Toward the top the ftalk divides into two or 
three branches, and on the fummit of each is a 
flower. This is very large, of a fnow white, and | 
has a tuft of yellow threads in the centre, 
The feeds are fmall, and ftand naked in alittle 
clufter. 
It is a native of the Fyeieaa mountains ; and 
flowers in June. 
C. Bauhine calls it Ranunculus montanus foliis 
plantagineis. C. Bauhine, Ranunculus Pyreneus 
foliis fublongis non lacinatis flore albo. 
3. Broad-leaved Crowfoot. 
Ranunculus latifolius radicibus craffis: 
The root is compofed of a great many long, 
‘thick pieces, which form a large tuft. 
The leaves that rife frorh it ftand on thick, 
flefhy footftalks, three inches long, and are broad, 
divided deeply into five or more parts, and fer- 
rated round the edges. 
The ftalk is thick, round, flefhy; and a foot 
or more in height. 
The leaves ftand irregularly on it, ha are di- | 
vided into many narrow, indented fegments, 
- The flowers are large, and yellow; and they 
have a tuft of yellow threads in the centre. 
The feed follows in a al head, and is large 
and naked. 
It is a native of the eaft, and flourifhes parti- 
cularly in Crete. It flowers in July. 
C, Bauhine calls it Ranunculus afphodeli radice 
Creticus. Clufius, Ranunculus Creticus latifolius. 
This ranunculus whofe root approaches to {the 
tuberous kind, naturally leads us to that which 
has a regularly tuberous root, and which makes 
fuch a fine appearance in our gardens. 
6: Scarlet Crowfoot: 
Ranunculus foliis divifis flore rubente, radice tuberofa, 
This is a beautiful flower in its plain, natural 
Appearance; and when cultivated, it fhews an 
amazing variety, the flower becoming double; 
and having all the degrees of colour from the 
deepeft to the paleft red, and to white and yellow. 
The root is regularly tuberous. It is compoféd 
of feveral oblong or oval, thick pieces, intermixed 
with fibres ; or fometimes wholly without them: 
The leaves that rife from it are fupported on 
long footftalks; and ate, fomeof them thore, fome _ 
of them léfs, divided. The firft that appear are 
commonly oblong, and only indented deeply at 
the edge. The fucceeding ones aré divided riiore 
or lefs deeply into three parts; and thofe feg- 
ments aré notched and pointed; 
The ftalk is round, firm; and a foot high 3 
fometimes it rifes fingle and continues the whole 
way fo: at other times itis branched. 
The leaves that ftand on it aré formed of three 
parts, two difpofed in the manner of wings, and 
one placed at the end; and each of thefe parts is 
again divided into three fegments and notched 
round the edges. _ 
At the top of the ftalk ftands a fingle flower, 
compofed of five leaves, rounded, and very large 
and beautiful: The ufual colour of this is a 
bright fcarlet; but fometimes it is yellow or 
white. We owe to the art of gardening thé 
other humerous variations. : 
It is a native of Afia, where it covers whole 
fields wild, and flowers in fpring. 
C. Bauhine calls it Ranunculus radice grumofa 
ramofus. Others, Ranuiculus Afiaticus radicé 
grumofa. 
Mott of the botanical writers have divided this 
- according to the colour of the flower, and other 
dosent into feveral kinds; but they are acci= 
dental varieties, the plant in every one Pi thefe 
appearances being the farie. 
The crowfoots in genetal ate acrid and cautticle 
Some of them are lefs fo than others ; and there 
are fome that experience has fhewn to be poifon- 
ous. The greater and leffer fpearwort are of this 
laft kind, as alfo the round-leaved {mall flowered 
kind: as to the others, they have béen banifhed 
from any ufe on the aecount of thefe : but we fhall 
fee in this an inftance#how rafhly we condemn 
fome plants, as well as negligently overlook 
others; 
The acrid quality of the crowfoots it in general re- 
fides in their juice. Some; as has been obferved, 
have little of it; and thefe may be taken inter- 
nally as frefh gathered; and many of the others 
becoming mild when dried. A tinéture may alfo 
be made from fome of the common fpecies that 
has no bad qualities, 
In the firft ftate, the roots and leaves of the 
round rooted kind may be ufed outwardly with 
fuccefs on many occafions. 
Their juice takes away warts, 
The roots and leaves bruifed together, and ap- 
plied to fwellings, will act as a cauftick, and make 
way for the inftruments of furgery: 
In violent headachs, when the pain is confined 
to one fpot; they have the greateft effect i imagi- 
nable. A plaifter is to be laid on, with a hole in 
the middle, A {mall quantity of the herb and 
root bruifed, and wet with the juice, is to be laid 
on the baré places and this is to be covered with 
a larger plaifter. In this manner of application 
a few leaves will do the bufinefs. Care muft be 
taken 
