BUTTERCUP FAMILY II 



* Petals white, with a yellow claw. 



1. R. aqudtilis (U'ater Crowfoot). — This was Linnceus' 

 collective name for a very puzzling group of plants, which botanists 

 now consider as at least nine or ten distinct species. They are 

 all water-plants with submerged leaves deeply cleft into hair-like 

 segments, and bioa'l membranous stipules. The chief forms 

 are : R. circindtits, with large flowers, no floating leaves, and the 

 segments of the submerged ones rigid and spreading in one 

 plane ; R. fluitans, with much longer leaf-segments all lying 

 parallel, leaves often a foot long, but flower-stalks shorter ; R. 

 psei/do-fluitaiis, with similar but shorter leaves and much longer 

 peduncles ; R. trichoplivllus with small flowers, and the leaf- 

 segments rigid and spreading, but not in one plane ; R. Drouetii, 

 in which the leaf-segments collapse into a tassel when taken from 

 the water ; R. l-cferophvllus, with large flowers on stalks as long as 

 the leaves, subi^nerged leaves collapsing into; a tassel, and 3-lobed 

 floating leaves ; R. pcltdtus, in which the segments of the sub- 

 merged leaves spread out Avhen taken from the water ; R. 

 Baudotii, with stouter flower-stalks and floating leaves deeply 

 divided into Mcdge-shaped segments; and R. intermi'dius, with 

 small pinkish flowers on short slender stalks, and seldom any sub- 

 merged leaves. The forms without floating leaves are the "long 

 mosses in the stream " of Tennyson. Those with floating leaves 

 occur in standing water- — Fl. May — September. 



2. R. Le)wr?ndndi (INIud Crowfoot). — Floating or creeping on 

 mud; leaves all reniform, crenate ; flou'ers \ in. across. — Fl. 

 June — August. 



3. R. hede?-dceus (Ivy-leaved Crowfoot). -i-Zfirr'fj- all reniform, 

 5-lobed, often with a black spot on them ; ffoicos verv small ; 



petals scarcely longer than the calyx. — Growing in water or on 

 mud. — Fl. May — September. 



** Petals yellow. Terrestrial. 



4. R. scelerdfus (Celery-leaved Crowfoot). — Stem i — 2 feet 

 high, hollow, with abundant very acrid juice ; leaves glabrous, 

 glossy, cut into three oblong lobes ; flim'ers very small, pale 

 yellow ; /r?/// an oblong etrerio. — Crowing iii waterv places. — Fl. 

 May — September. Annual. 



5. R. F.dmmula (Lesser Spearvvort). — Stem creeping at the 

 base, 4—18 in. high; leaves petiolate, ovate, or lanceolate, hairy 

 or glabrous ; flowers \ — J in. across. Xanied from its causing 

 inflammation or rednes.s of the skin. — Growing in wet places. — 

 Fl. June — August. Perennial. 



