Ranunculus. \ ranunculacea:. 9 



remain greenish at the back, otherwise when fully evolved nearly uniform, yellow 

 concave obtuse, ribbed and hairy, not reflexed, shorter than the roundish, entire,' 

 veined, bright yellow, and shining petals, the tubular pore at tie base of which is 

 not closed by a scale. Stamens numerous ; anthers erect, elliptical, linear, bright 

 yellow, btigmas recurved. Carpels in small round heads, ovate, slightlv hairv 

 keeled, with a tapering hooked beak. 



This plant has noue of the acrimony of the other Crowfoots, hence its name of 

 oweet Crowfoot. 



7. E. scelerattis* L. Marsh Crowfoot. Celery-leaved Croio- 

 foot. " Leaves glabrous, radical ones petiolate tripartite, lobes 

 cut very obtuse, upper ones in 8 linear cut segments, calyx gla- 

 brous, achenes slightly wrinkled collected into an oblong head, 

 receptacle hairy." — Br. Fl. p. 10. E. B. t. 681. 



About pools and ditches, in wet meadows and other watery places : not very 

 frequent. Fl. May— October. 0. 



E. Med.~By the pond at Hardingshute farm, and on the Dover, sparingly. 

 By Thorley farm. Ditches in meadows at the bottom of Brading harbour. Win. 

 Wilson Saunders, Esq. Plentiful in a wet meadow at Yarbridge. About San- 

 down. [Lane Knd, Bembridge, A. G. More, Esq., Edvs.] 



W. Med. — Marsh ditches at Freshwater gate, and meadows between Yarmouth 

 and Thorley. 



An acrid succulent herb, from a few inches to upwards of 3 feet in height. 

 Root a bundle of white ■fibres. Stem erect, stout, soft, hollow, furrowed and angu- 

 lar, copiously alternately and repeatedly branched, smooth and roundish below, 

 its upper part and the branches thickly clothed with fine downy hairs, often 

 I believe wanting. Root-leaves large, on very long stalks, roundish reniform, 

 3-lobed, the lobes trifid or variously cut and cleft with obtuse segments. Stem- 

 leaves on shorter stalks, the highest of all sessile, deeply 3-cleft, with narrower 

 segments, those of the uppermost leaves almost linear, nearly entire, and a little 

 hairy. Petioles with short slipular sheaths. Flowers very small for so large a 

 plant, scarcely one-third of an inch in diameter, palish yellow, on solitary grooved 

 peduncles, either terminal, axillary or opposite to the leaves, much lengthened 

 out in seed. Sepals ovate, coloured, concave, very hairy without, strongly reflexed. 

 Petals obovate, glossy, flat, with a large, prominent, rather cupped than tubular 

 pore or nectary. Germens very numerous, on a hairy receptacle. Stigmas very 

 small, short, sessile. Carpels in an ovate or oblong head. 



Easily known by its erect, much-branched stem, very small pale flowers, and 

 conical heads of ovaria, in this last respect resemWing Myosurus minimus. 



8. R. acris, L. Upright Meadoiv Croivfoot. " Calyx spread- 

 iilg, peduncles rounded (not furrowed), leaves tripartite their seg- 

 ments acute trifid and cut, upper ones linear, achenes and recep- 

 tacles glabrous."— i3r. Fl. p. 10. E. B. t. 652. 



Very common in moist woods, meadows, pastures and by roadsides. Fl. June, 

 July. * If. 



9. R. repens, L. Creeping Crowfoot. " Calyx spreading, 

 flower-stalks furrowed, scions creeping, leaves with 3 petiblated 

 leaflets wich are 3-lobed or 3-partite and cut, achenes collected 

 into a globose head glabrous, receptacle hairy." — Br. Fl. p. 10. 

 E. B. t. 516. 



Over the entire Isle of Wight. Fl. May — August. If.. 



* The trivial name here denotes the mischievous properties of this very acrid 

 plant. 



C 



