CRITICAL STUDY OF RANUNCULUS AQUATILIS lL. VAR. Y 19 
Ranunculus tertius, Gesner Hort. Germ. p. 275 (Kéln, 1561). 
Alga palustris et fluviatilis, Gesner Stirp. Collect. (Ziirich, 1587). 
Millefolium maratriphyllon tertium, flore et semine Ranunculi 
ony Hepatic facie, Lobel Icones, 791 (1581); Johnson 
Ranunculus aquatilis alter, Cesalpini De Plantis, lxiv. ¢. 2 (1583). 
Foeniculum aquaticum tertium, Tabernemontanus, Kriiuterbuch, 
p. 71 (1588); it is on the ‘figure of this plant, which very 
clearly represents the water-fennel, that R. divaricatus is 
ounde 
Millefolium pn flore albo, Clustus Rar. Plant. Hist. ose 
nunculus aquaticus foeniculaceus trichophyllus, Fabio C. 
Eephrasis, t. a p- 316 (1616); a most expressive name an a 
the bes ost characteristic figure of the plant in pre- 
Linnean 
Millefolium aquaticum, foliis or my ranunculi flore et capitulo, 
Bauhin Pinax, lib. iv. sect. 3, n. vi. p. 141 (1623). 
oe _— eapillaceus, Banhin, - ¢. lib. v. sect. 3, n 
p. Hist. Univ. ii. p. 442, s. 4, t. “99 
f. 38 (1680); Y Towrsafen. Tastit. Herb. ‘291 (1700 
Ranunculus Bee omnino tenuifolius, J. Bauhin Hist. Plant. 
- - 781, f. 2 (1651); Ray Hist. Plant. p. 586 (1686) ; Syn. 
Cae ‘Brit. p. 249 (ed. 2, 1696). 
Fine wasn Crowfoot, Petiver Herb. Brit Cat. t. 39, £. 2 alge 
Ranunculus aquaticus albus foeniculi folio, Barrelier PL. His sp. Gall 
Ttal. Obace i . 57, t. 566 (1714 
Ranunculoides tenieulo folio breviore, Vaillant in Bot. Paris, 
1727, p. 170. 
The earliest reference to our plant is that of Bock in 1539, 
where he says: “ Im wasser findt man vilerley Sam Kreutter wach- 
sen etlichs ist gantz ee mit wilen gewerblin, darumb wiirt 
es lang wie das Weg In Kyber’s Latin edition of 1552, 
which is a book nearly aa sis as the German editio  eageoe the 
plant is called “Alga prima,” and is described i ese words: 
‘Primum genus nostre Algx, herba est geniculata o preslongs: 
Deatinmo tes vulgo vocate non absimilis, foliis admodum incisis. 
Hec Junio mense elegantissimos, candidos, herb Fragariz similes 
flores profert, quibus decedentibus ga ipa echin a 
nstar Ranunculi succedunt. Herba est viridis, et que aqui 
Boantitiua gaudeat.” The character which suggests that the aoe 
selongs here rather than to R. gee ee “capitula rotunda, 
echinata,” as in the latter species the fruiting-spike of pistils is 
rather oblong and glabrous; but the fine distnstions of ours 
Species can scarcely be gauged with precision in the earliest 
scriptions not supplemented with a figure. 
e description lager follows was drawn up mainly from 
- y ats seen growing in the Lower Brent district of Mi 
(s. ‘ween Greenford and Pesele on a detached patch of alluvial 
nit« wasGunded y the London clay, coloured winthe map 
prop tmen and ie Fl. of Middlesea. Several Hiseariptions of 
Jo. c2 : 
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