CROWFOOT FAMILY. 37 



high ; stem-leaves not raised on a general petiole ; flowers greenish and pur- 

 plish ; anthers short-linear, drooping on capillary and upwardly rather thickened 

 filaments. 



T. Coru{l.ti, Tall M. Herb 4° - 8° high ; stem-leaves not raised on a 

 general petiole ; flowei-s white, in summer ; anthers oblong, not drooping ; the 

 white filaments thickened upwards. Low or wet ground. 



5. ADONIS. (The red-flowered species fabled to spring fl-om the blood 

 of Adonis, killed by a wild boar.) Stems leafy ; leaves finely much cut 

 into very narrow divisions. Cult, from Europe for ornament. 



A. autumnalis, Phk as ant's-eye A. ® Stems near 1 ° high, it or the 

 branches terminated by a small flower, of 5 - 8 scarlet or crimson petals, com- 

 monly dark at their base. Has run wild in Tennessee. 



A. Tern^lis, Spring A. 11 Stems about 6' high, bearing a large showy 

 flower, of 10 - 20 lanceolate light-yellow petals, in early spring. 



6. MYOStTKTJS, MOUSETAIL (which the name means in Greek). ® 

 M. zninilllUS. An insignificant little plant, wild or run wild along streams 



from Illinois S., with a tuft of narrow entire root-leaves, and scapes 1' - 3' high, 

 bearing an obscure yellow flower, followed by tail-like spike of fruit of 1 ' - 2' 

 long, in spring and summer. 



7. RANUNCULUS, CBOWEOOT, BUTTERCUP. (Latin name for 

 a little frog, and for the Water Crowfoots, living with the frogs. ) A large 

 genus of wild plants, except the double-flowered varieties of three species cult, 

 in gardens for ornament. (Lessons, p. 183, fig. 358-361.) 



§ 1. Aquatic; the leaves all or mostly under water, and repeatedly dissected into 

 many capillary divisions : flowering all summer. 



R. aqu^tilis. White Watee-Ckowfoot. Capillary leaves collapsing 

 into a tuft when drawn out of the water ; petals small, white, or only yellow at 

 the base, where they bear a spot or little pit, but no scale : akenes wrinkled 

 crosswise. 



R. divaric^tus, Stiff W. Like the last, but less common ; the, leaves 

 stiiF and rigid enough to keep their shape (spreading in a circular outline) when 

 drawn out of water. 



R. multlfidus. Yellow W. Leaves under water much as those of the 

 White Water Crowfoots, or rather larger ; but the bright yellow petals as large 

 as those Of Common Buttercups, and, like them„witli a little scale at the base. 

 (Formerly named R. Porshii, &c.) 



§ 2. Terrestrial, many in taet places, hut naturally growing with the foliage out of 

 water : petals with the Utile scale at the base, yellow in all the wild species, 

 * Akenes not prickly nor bristly nor striate on the sides. H, 



t- Speak WOKT Ckowfoots ; groining in very wet places, with mostly entire and 



narrow leaves : fl. all summer. 

 R. alismsefdliUS. Stems ascending, l°-2° high; leaves lanceolate or the 

 lowest oblong ; flower fully ^' in diameter ; akenes beaked with a straight and 

 slender style. 



R. Flammula. Smaller than the last, and akenes short-pointed; rare 

 N., but very common along borders of ponds and rivers is the 



Var. r6ptans, or Creeping S., with slender stems creeping a few inches in 

 length; leaves linear or spatulate, seldom 1' long ; flower only 4' broad. 

 ■I- H- Small-flowered Crowfoots ; in wet or moist places, with upper 

 leaves 3-pdrted or divided, and very small flowers, the petals shorter or not longer 

 than the calyx : fl. spring and summer. 



R. abortivus, Small-flowered C. Very smooth and slender, 6' - 2° 

 high ; root-leaves rounded, crenate ; akenes in a globular head. Shady places, 

 along watercourses. 



R. sceler^tus, Cursbd C. So called because the juice is very acrid and 

 blistering ; stouter than tha last and thicker-leaved, equally smooth, even the 



