RANUNCULUS. 



italk round. Stem fimple or divided. Leaves heart-fliaped, 

 three-lobcd, toothed."— Native of Cappadocia. Root pe- 

 rennial, hard, the thicknels of a goofe-quill, and refembhng 

 the root of Doronicum. Radical leaves roundilh-heart- 

 (haped, with three very (hort lobes, all pointed, furnifhed 

 with a few coarfe teeth, and clothed on both fides with 

 fcattered clofe-prefTed hairs. 5/«n-/M/folitary, ftalked as 

 well as the radical ones ; and in the middle of the flower- 

 ftalk is a fmall, feffile, lanceolate, entire leaf. Stem a fpan 

 high, clothed with clofe-preffed hairs, either finiple, or 

 divided above the leaf, each ftalk fingle-flowered. Corolla 

 yeWow, lUe{izeo( R.folyanlljenwi. Fruit roundiih. Seeds 

 comprelled, hooked. IVilldcrwiv, from a dried Ipecimen. 



63. R. lanuginofus. Broad-downy-leaved Crov/foot 

 Linn. Sp. PI. 779- Willd. n. 47. Ait. n. 30, 



Purfli 



Dan. t. 397. Sm. Fl. Graec. Sibtli. t. 519, 

 R. montanus fnbhirfntus latifolius ; Bauli. 



(1 



n. 16. Fl. 



unpublifhed. ,_- 



Prodr. 96. R. nemorofus hirlutus, foliis caryophyllatx ; 

 Loef. Prulf. 220. t. 71. R. magnus valde hirfutus, flore 

 luteo'; Bauh. Hill. v. 3. 417. R. n. 1172; HaU. HiR. 

 v. 2. 73. BaVx»°» '''v"'; Diofc. book 2. chap. 206.)-- 

 Leaves heart -(haped, five-cleft, lobed, notched, filky. Stem 

 eredl, many-flowered, hairy. Flower-ltalks round. Calyx 

 fpreading. Seeds ovate, compreffed, with elongated, re- 

 volute-pointed beaks.— Native of Germany, France, Swit- 

 zerland, Carniola, Greece, and North America. Mr. Purfh 

 obferved it in old fields and meadows, from Penfylvama to 

 Carolina, flowering from June to Oftober. Dr. Sibthorp 

 found it in (hady watery fituations in the Pcloponnefus, 

 but molt plentifully in the north of Greece, and with great 

 reafon concluded it to be the fecond Ranunculus of Diof- 

 corides, with whofe defcription it fufficiently well agrees, 

 except being mild, rather tlian very acrid, in fenfible qua- 

 lities, if we may trult modern authors. Linnjeus dillin- 

 guiflies two varieties, between which we can difcover no dif- 

 ference, and Haller unites them. The opinion of this great 

 Swifs botanift however lofes fome of its weight, by the 

 doubt he expreifes whether this plant be diftindl from R. re- 

 fens, n. 54, to which it has indeed a flight general refem- 

 blance, though diff'ering totally in its upright /cm, deflitute 

 of runners ; its very foft filky leaves, by which this plant is 

 known at once from every other European Ranunculus ; and 

 the revolute taper points of its feeds, which nearly agree 

 with lappaceus in that refpeft ; but the feeds thcmfelves are 

 comprefled, and, as far as we can fee, deltitute of reticulated 

 veins. The root is perennial, with many long, ftout, cylin- 

 drical, fltlhy fibres, or perhaps flender knobs, intermixed 

 with capillary branched radicles. Stem 12 or 18 inches high, 

 branched, leafy, round, clothed with long, fpreading or 

 deflexed, hairs ; its bafe purplifli, as are alfo the long hairy 

 footjlalks of the radical leaves. Thefe and the lower Jlem- 

 leaves are tlu-ee inches wide, divided about half way down 

 inte five or feven broad, Iharply notched lobes, whofe dole 

 Cnufes have a pale fpot, with a purple ftain, adjoining to 

 their termination. The upper leaves are deeply fhree-cleft, 

 with ovate and toothed, or lanceolate and entire, lobes. 

 Flanuers yellow, much like thofe of acris. Calyx hairy, 

 fpreading. Fruit globofe. Seeds with awl-fliaped, ftrongly 

 revolute beaks, by which this fpecies is clearly dillinguifhable 

 from repens, polyanthemos, acris, if fuch a mark were necef- 

 fary, and by which it i'ornis a chain of affinity between 

 thofe fpecies and our lappaceus. It is fomewiiat rem.arkable 

 that R. lanuginofus has not been found in Britain, and Ihll 

 more fo, that any obfcnrity fliould envelope the botanical 

 hiftory of fo diftinft a fptcies. 



64. K.fcriceus. Silkv Crowfoot. Lamarck Dift. n. 26. 

 —Leaves ternate, very lilky ; leaflets wedge-fliaped, deeply 



jagged and toothed. Stem crc£t, many- 

 ilky. Calyx fpreading. Seeds 



three-cleft, 



flowered, fillcy. Calyx fpreading. OeeUs ovate, com- 

 pren"ed, with (hort ercft beaks. — Gathered in the ifle of 

 Bourbon by Commerfon, from whom we have fpecimens- 

 Root, as well as the general habit and fi/,e of the plant, like 

 the laft, but the whole herb is much more denfely clothed 

 with fliining filky hairs. The leaves are ternate, fome of 

 them almoil twice ternate ; their lobes deeply and repeatedly 

 cut, in a radiant manner, with Iharp teeth. Flowers like 

 the laft. Fruit ovate. Seeds with broad llraight beaks, 

 longer, and not fo much curved or hooked, as even thofe of 

 acris, 



65. R. tomentofus. Shaggy Crowfoot. Lamarck Didl. 

 n. 70. Purfli n. 17. — Leaves downy, three-lobed or 

 notched ; the uppermoft oval, entire. Stem reclining, 

 lomewhat creeping, fliaggy, one or two-flowered. Calyx 

 hifpidj flightly reflexed.- Gathered in North Carolina, by 

 M. Bofc. A fmall, almoft creeping, very hairy plant, with 

 fibrous roots. Thejlenis are very low, and nearly prollrate, 

 afceiiding at their extremities, two or three inches long, ten- 

 der, covered with whitifli tufted hairs, difpofed in two rows. 

 Leaves llalked, thick, downy, generally with three lobes, 

 which are either dillinft or confluent ; fome leaves are merely 

 crenate and rounded. Footjlalhs long and hairy. The 

 uppermoft Jlem-leaf is feflile, oval, acute, entire. Flowers 

 one or two, on terminal, unequal, fimple_y?fl/^j-, clothed with 

 two rows of hairs. Calyx hifpid, a little reflexed. Petals 

 white or yellowilb, rounded at the end. Poiret. We have 

 feen no ipecimen, nor did Mr. Purfli meet with the plant 

 himfelf. 



66. R. marylandicus. Maryland Crowfoot. Lamarck 

 Dift. n. 69. Purfli n. 18. Leaves ternate, three-lobed, 

 acute, cut, pale and nearly fmooth beneath. Stem fimple, 

 almoft naked, downy. Calyx fmooth, reflexed. Found 

 in fliady woods, from Penfylvania to Virginia, flowering 

 from May to July. Purfh. Root fibrous, perennial. Stems • 

 fimple, ereft, downy, flender, about ten inches high ; Poiret 

 by miftake, as we prelume, fays ten feet Leaves radical, 

 on long downy ftalks, ternate ; the tvv'o lateral ones oppo- 

 site, ftalked ; all with three confluent, lanceolate, acute, cut 

 lobes ; their upper furface green ; the under paler and 

 whitifli, almoft fmooth. There are no other Jlem -leaves than 

 what ftand almoft feflile, at the bafe of the flower-ftalks, and 

 either have three or five fliallow irregular lobes, or are 

 fimply cut. Flowers two or three, terminal, on ftiort, 

 fcarcely downy, ftalks. Calyx fmootli, reflexed. Petals 

 rather large, oval, rounded at the end, pale yellow. Poiret. 



67. R. recurvatus. Recurved Crowfoot. Lamarck 



Dift. n. 6§. Purfli n. 19 Leaves in three deep, acute, 



cut, wedgL-fliaped lobes. Stem many-flowered. Calyx 

 and corolla reflexed. Petals nearly linear. Seeds com- 

 prefled, dotted, with revolute, awl-lTiaped beaks. — Native 

 of ftiady woods, from New York to Carolina, flowering 

 from June to Auguit. Purjh. We received fpecimens from 

 the Rev. Dr. Muhlenberg, of Lancafter, Penfylvania. 

 The root is perennial. Stems a fpan high, very hairy ; 

 branched and leafy at the upper part. Leaves two or three 

 inches wide, rather hairy, on very hairy ftalks ; their fide- 

 lobes for the moft part deeply cloven. Flowers ftalked, 

 fmall. Calyx pale-purpliih, ribbed, clothed with fine long 

 hairs. Petals fmall, narrow, almoft white. Fruit Grlobofe. 

 Seeds ovate, lenticular, minutely dotted, fmooth, with flender, 

 revolute-pointed beaks. 



68. ¥^. feptentrionalis. Smooth North- American Crow- 

 foot. Lamarck Dift. n. 64. Purfli n. 20. — Leaves ter- 

 nate, membranous, fmooth, deeply lobed, acute, cut. Stem 

 two-flowered, hairy, like the bafe of the footftalks. C.lyx 



01 reflexed. 





