12 Ranunculacea—Ranunculus. 
3. R. aconitifolius, syn. R. platanifolius.— The double 
variety of this species is the only one in general cultivation 
under the name of White Batchelor’s Buttons. It is a hand- 
some herbaceous plant, about 2 feet high, with beautiful 5-lobed 
leaves, and terminal panicles of pure white flowers. This is the 
plant called in some districts ‘Fair Maids of France.’ It is a 
native of Central Europe, flowering towards the end of Spring. 
4. R. dcris. Crowfoot.—The single-fowered plant is one of 
our commonest Buttercups, growing about 2 feet high, with 
spreading branches and bright yellow flowers. The leaves are 
deeply 5- to 7-partite. It is the only tall branching perennial 
native species with lobed leaves we have, and may be seen by 
almost every road-side. The double variety, Yellow Batche- 
lor’s Buttons, is seldom seen now. 
5. R. bulbésus, flore pleno.—Like the last this is a common 
native plant, especially in the South of England. This rarely 
exceeds a foot in height, and has an erect usually unbranched 
stem and ternately divided leaves. The base of the stem is 
enlarged, hence the name. The flowers are rather larger in 
this, but fewer in number. 
6. R. Lingua. Spearwort.—One of our handsomest native 
species inhabiting marshy districts. Stem branched, from 2 
to 3 feet high, with sessile lanceolate entire or slightly-toothed 
stem-clasping leaves and bright yellow flowers 2 inches in dia- 
meter. 
7. KR. aquatilis. Water Buttercup.—This familiar early- 
flowering aquatic plant, with floating stems, more or less 
divided leaves, and pure white flowers, needs little description. 
There are very muny varieties, all of them pretty. 
8. R. Ficaria, Pilewort or Buttercup, is the common native 
Spring-flowering species with radical cordate shining leaves 
and bright glittering yellow flowers on short stalks searcely 
exceeding the leaves. 
Trins IV.—HELLEBORES. 
Sepals imbricate. Petals small, or deformed, or none. Car- 
pels many-seeded. 2 
6. CALTHA. 
Marsh or semi-aquatic herbs with fleshy creeping rootstocks. 
Leaves petiolate, cordate, glabrous. Flowers few, terminal, 
yellow. Sepals 5 or more, petaloid. Petals none. Carpels 
several, many-seeded. Name from «dda@os, a cup. 
