BUTTERCUP FAMILY. 129 
nately lobed, and the stem leaves sessile or nearly so, with 
linear lobes. The flowers are very small, the yellow petals 
being no longer than the reflexed sepals. It has a fruit- 
ing head like that of Ranunculus sceleratus but smaller. 
MARSH MARIGOLD—Caltha palustris L. 
Other Common Names: Cowslip, Soldiers-buttons. 
As a general rule animals may be trusted to avoid the 
Marsh Marigold on account of its acrid properties. Cases 
have occurred, however, of poisoning among both cattle 
and horses, sometimes with fata] results. The young 
plants are harmless, becoming toxic about the time of 
flowering. The symptoms resemble those produced by 
Buttercups. When dried in hay the plant is harmless. 
Though it is an eastern species, the plant is found in 
moist or swampy situations as far west as Saskatchewan. 
It is a somewhat fleshy perennial with hollow, grooved 
stems, growing in clumps with abundance of large, bright 
yellow flowers. The sepals are coloured but no true 
petals are present. There are numerous stamens and ten 
pistils developing flattened seed pods. The leaves are 
rounded, with a smooth or crenate margin. The flowers 
are found in early spring, but may continue until June. 
Caltha asarifolia DC., Caltha leptosepala DC., Caltha 
biflora DC. and Caltha chelidonit Greene, are western 
forms with similar acrid properties and grow in marshy 
places among the mountains. The first named species has 
yellow flowers, while the rest have white. 
