6 THALAMTFT.OR^ 



shaped, angular ; sepals 3 ; petals about 9. One of our brightest 

 and earhest spring flowei\s, studding every bank with its glossy- 

 yellow, starlike flowers. — Fl. March to May. Perennial. 



Flowers vellow ; leaves divided ; carpels smooth 



6. R. auricomus (Wood Crowfoot, or Goldilocks). — Radicle 

 leaves kidney-shaped, lobed, on longish stalks ; stem leaves 

 deeply divided, without stalks. Whole plant about a foot higii. 

 Flowers mostly irregular, owing I0 some of the petals being im- 

 perfectly developed. Common in woods. — Fl. April, May. 

 Perennial. 



7. R. sceleratus (Celery-leaved Crowfoot). — Leaves smooth, cut 

 into oblong segments ; stem hollow, Juicy, erect, branched ; 

 carpels collected into an oblong head. A highly acrid species, 

 from 6 inches to 2 feet high, growing in watery places in most 

 parts of the world. Leaves glossy ; petals small, pale yellow. 

 — Fl. June to August. Annual. 



8. R. hiilbosus (Bulbous Buttercup). — Calyx reiie.xed ; flower- 

 stalks channelled ; root bulbous ; whole plant about a foot high. 

 A common British meadow plant. — Fl. May, June. Perennial. 



g. R. repens (Creeping Buttercup). Calyx spreading ; flower- 

 stalks channelled ; root creeping. A common and most trouble- 

 some weed, increasing by creepmg shoots, or scions, which take 

 root wherever a leaf is produced. — June to August. Perennial. 



10. R. acris (Meadow Crowfoot). — Calyx spreading ; flower- 

 stalks cylindrical, not furrowed ; plant from 2-3 feet high ; root 

 composed of long fibres. Meadows — very common throughout 

 Britain. Well distinguished from the preceding by the above 

 characters, as well as by its slender stem and by the narrower 

 segments of ils upper leaves. — Fl. June, July. Perennial. 



A double variety is common in gardens, under the name of 

 Bachelor's Buttons. 



Flowers yellow ; leaves divided ; carpels not smooth 



11. R. hirsutus (Pale Hairy Buttercup). — Calyx reflexed 

 root fibrous ; carpels margined, and rough with small tubercles 

 plant 6 inches to i foot high ; flowers pale yellow. Meadows 

 and waste giound. — Fl. June to October. Annual. 



12. R. arvensis (Corn Crowfoot). — Calyx spreading ; carpels 

 large and prickly ; leaves deeply divided ; flowers pale yellow ; 

 plant about 18 inches high, nearly glabrous. One of the most 

 poisonous of the genus, yet its seeds are said to be a favourite 

 food of partridges. A common weed m cornfields, especially in 

 the south of England. — Fl. June to August. Annual. 



