178 VETEEINAEY TOXICOLOGY 



Ranunculus. 



Description. — The species of this genus which are 

 poisonous include — Ranunculus sceleratus, or celery-leaved 

 crowfoot ; R. acris, or upright meadow crowfoot ; R. bulbosus, 

 or common buttercup; R. arvensis, or corn crowfoot; R. 

 repens, or creeping ranunculus ; R. Lingua, or great spear- 

 wort ; R. Flammula, or lesser spearwort ; and R. Ficaria, or 

 lesser celandine. These plants are well known, and detailed 

 descriptions are superfluous, but attention may profitably be 

 drawn to some of the particular characteristics of the several 

 examples. The general characters are — annual or perennial, 

 leaves divided or entire, flowers generally yellow, with double 

 perianth, five sepals and five petals, numerous uniovular 

 carpels. 



Those having divided leaves — 



R. acris (Fig. 20) : Leaves hairy ; calyx spreading, but 

 not reflexed ; stems erect, without runners ; lower leaves 

 palmately divided ; carpels in a globular head. Flowers 

 early summer till late autumn. 



R. repens : Runners creeping and rooting. 



R. arvensis : Leaves glabrous ; segments narrow : 

 carpels very prickly ; plant erect. Abundant in slovenly 

 farms in South of England. Flowers and ripens seed with 

 the corn. 



R. bulbosus : Calyx closely reflected on the peduncle ; 

 rootstock or thickened base of stem, forming a kind of bulb ; 

 carpels perfectly smooth. Flowers early summer. 



R. sceleratus (Fig. 21) : Petals very small ; carpels small, 

 numerous, in an ovate or oblong head. 



Those having undivided leaves — 



R. Lingua (Fig. 22): Flowers large, plants 3 feet high ; and 

 R. Flammula, about 1 foot high, flowers small, having leaves 

 long and lanceolate, growing in marshes and wet places. 



R. Ficaria (Fig. 23) : Leaves cordate, smooth and shining. 

 Flowers early spring. 



All the above have yellow flowers. 



