AND ORNAMENTAL TREATMENT. 41 



PLATE 26. 



" These are Thy glorious works, Parent of good, 

 Almighty ! Thine this universal frame. 

 This wondrous fair ; Thyself how wondrous then ! 

 Unspeakable, who sitt'st above these heavens 

 To us invisible, or divinely seen 

 In these Thy latest works ; yet these declare 

 Thy goodness beyond thought, and power divine." — Milton. 



We have already, in our description of the Ranunculus bulbosus, or Bulbous Crow-foot, 

 given a slight sketch of the various species of the genus, dwelling, however, but little on the 

 R. arvensis, or Corn Crow-foot, as that comes more especially before our consideration now, being 

 the subject of the present plate. 



The Corn Crow-foot is, as the name implies, one of the numerous plants (like the Poppy, 

 Cockle, and Blue-bottle) that occur in the growing corn : though ordinarily a very common plant, 

 it is, nevertheless, much more abundant in some localities than others, the southern counties of 

 England, rather than the colder northern parts, furnishing examples of it, and those ordinarily 

 on farms under slovenly tillage. The specific botanical name (arvensis) is derived from the Lat. 

 arvum, a ploughed field, and further indicates the locality most congenial to the growth of the 

 plant. 



The flowers of this species are smaller, and of a somewhat paler yellow, than those of most 

 of the plants of this genus ; the leaves are three-cleft, each lobe being either of simple form, as in 

 the upper leaves (fig. 211), or again divided into three, as in the lower leaves (fig. 214) ; the carpels 

 of the fruit few in number, but large (fig. log), and covered on both sides with prickles, forming as a 

 whole a fruit of a very quaint and suggestive character ornamentally. The very light effect and 

 spreading growth of the plant fit it in a more especial degree for fabrics requiring designs of a 

 delicate character----such as muslins or lace ; and it is in this direction, though we do not remember 

 ever to have seen it so employed, that it may prove of service to the art-student or pirofessional 

 designer. The plant attains a height of some eighteen inches, and flowers during May, June, 

 and July, the flower and fruit-forms being found simultaneously on the plant — an additional 

 recommendation to the designer as assisting to give that pleasant variety of form that is so desirable 

 in itself, and also as in some degree interesting the spectator in the life-history of the plant chosen 

 for representation. 



The various species of Ranunculus, with the exception of the Water Crow-foot (R. 

 Aquatilis), possess a very considerable acridity, though the active principle, being of a volatile 

 nature, is dispelled by heat and exposure to the air ; so that, though animals will avoid the plants 

 when growing, the buttercups that yellow the meadows in the early summer do not, when dried with 

 grass, retain their deleterious qualities, nor in any way depreciate the value of the hay as fodder. 

 Many of the species if held long in the hand will blister it ; hence they have been used in country 

 places as vesicatories : the experiment is, however, a rather dangerous one, as the wound caused 

 is slow to heal, and may itself become a cause of trouble. The R. Flammula, a species very 

 commonly found by the sides of ditches, was the plant ordinarily selected. The specific name is 

 the diminutive form of Flamma (a flame), and refers to its burning or inflammatory qualities. The 

 leaves bruised and applied to the skin, will raise a large blister in about thirty minutes. Though 

 poisonous, the buttercups are not dangerous, since their burning acridity makes it very unlikely that 

 anyone would take a sufficient quantity to produce serious effects, while, if taken accidentally in 

 place of some other vegetable as a pot-herb, the boiling they would have to undergo would render 

 them innoxious. The Corn Crow-foot is the most poisonous of the whole family : sheep have 

 been known to eat it with very speedily fatal effect, while in an experiment that we have found re- 

 corded, where three ounces of its expressed juice were administered to a dog, the result, death in 

 four minutes, was very conclusive as a proof of its deleterious properties. 



The persistency of the attachment of particular plants for special localities is a very curious 

 point, and one well deserving of study ; indeed, to the ornamentist some slight knowledge of 

 this becomes a necessity, that he may not fall into error in his representations of plants, nor 

 run counter to the associations connected with them. 



We can easily understand the need of seeking for acquatic plants in their special element, 

 since in that alone are they fitted to dwell ; and we can comprehend, while we wonder at, the 

 attachment of certain plants to particular geological formations, since we can easily believe, on 

 consideration, that that particular formation best furnishes certain chemical substances needed for 

 the food and consequent healthy well-being of the plant in question. Thus, the Nasturtium 

 Pyrenaicum thrives best on granite and gneiss, the Polgala calcarea on chalk, the Lychnis viscaria 

 on limestone and trap ; but it appears to us more curious that in any given district of one geological 



