ANUNCULUS BULBOSUS. RoUND-ROOTED OR 



u lb ous Crowfoot. 



RANUNCULUS Llnnael ' Gerti PL Polyandria Polygynia. 



Rail Syn: Gen. 15. Herb^e semine nudo polyspermy. 

 RANUNCULUS bulbofius, calycibus retroflexis, pedunculis fulcatis, caule ere£lo multifloro, foliis compofitis, 



L'mncel Sy/l. Vegetab. p. 430. Sp, PL 778. Fl. Sueclc. 196. 

 RANUNCULUS radice fubglobofa, foliis birfutis, femitrilobis, lobis petiolatis acute ferratis. Haller. hlfl. 



v. 2. p. 74. 

 RANUNCULUS Scopoll FL Cant. v. 1. p. 400. Diagn. Radix globofa. Calyces reflexi. Squamula nec~ 



tarifera obtufe trig-ona. 



o 



RANUNCULUS prateniis radice verticilli modo rotunda. Bauhln. pin. 179. Fufchll Icon, 160. Gerard. emac» 

 953. Parkin/on 329. Rail Synop. 247. Hudfon FL Angl. 211. FL Dan. Icon. 551, 



RADIX perennis, fubrotunda, albida, folida, fuperne et 

 inferne depreffior, hinc radicem Rapas quodam- 

 modo referens. 



CAULIS pedalis, teres, ereclus, fiftulofus, hirfutus, ra- 

 mofus. 



FOLIA radicalia petiolis longis, hirfutis, bail vaginan- 

 tibus iniidentia, fubprocumbentia, hirfuta, ve- 

 nofa, trilobata, lobo medio majori et longius 

 petiolato, femitrifidd, fegmentis acute inciiis ; 

 lobis lateralibus trifidis, fegmentis inferioribus 

 profundius divifis ; caulina fubfeffilia in lacinias 

 plures tenuiores divifa.. 



PEDUNCULI fulcaii. 



CALYX: Perianthium pentaphyllum, foliolis ova- 

 tis, concavis, reflexis,, pilofis, apice obtufiufcu- 

 lis, margine membranaceis, bail fubpellucldis, 

 fig- I- 



COROLLA Pet ala quinque obcordata, flava, nitentia, 



NECTARIUM: fquamula flava fubemarginata ad bafin 



petal! Jig. 3. 

 STAMINA : Filamenta plurima, receptaculo inferta ; 



Anthers oblongas, flavae, fubincurvatae, fig 4. 



PISTILLUM : Germina numerofa in capitulum collec- 

 ta; Styli nulli ; Stigmata minima reflexa, 



. fig' 5; 

 SEMINA plurima comprefla, fufca, mucronata, lsevia, 



arillata, fig. 6. 

 Fig. 7, Arillus, fig. 8, femen denudatum. 



ROOT perennial, roundljh, white and folid, flattened d, 

 little both at top and. bottom, hence fomewhat 

 refembling a Turnep. 



STx\LK a foot high, round, upright, hollow, hairy and 

 branched. 



LEAVES : the radical leaves placed on long hairy foot- 

 ftalks, which at bottom embrace the ftalk, 

 fomewhat procumbent, hairy, veiny, and di- 

 vided into three lobes ; the mid-lobe largefl and 

 placed on a longer foot-ftalk than the others, 

 divided half way down into three fegments 

 which are fharply cut in ; the fide-lobes trifid, 

 the lower fegments more deeply divided than 

 the others; the leaves of the Jialk nearly feffile, 

 deeply divided into numerous and narrower feg- 

 ments. 



FOOT-STALKS of the flowers grooved. 



CALYX: a Perianthium of five leaves, the leaves 

 oval, hollow, turned back and hairy, bluntim at 

 top, membranous at the edges, thin and .fome- 

 what transparent at bottom, fig. 1 . 



COROLLA: five Petals, heart-lhaped, yellow, and 

 mining,/^. 2. 



NECTARY : a fmall yellow fcale at the bottom of the 

 petal, with a flight indentation at top, fig. 3. 



STAMINA; Filaments numerous and inferred into 

 the receptacle ; Anthers oblong, yellow, and 

 bending a little inwards, fig, 4. 



PISTILLUM : Germina numerous, collected into a 

 little head; Styles none; Stigmata very 

 fmall and bending back, fig. 5. 



SEEDS numerous, flat, brown, fmooth, pointed, and 

 covered with an Arillus, fig. 6. 



Fig. 7, the Arillus, fig. 8. the feed taken out of it. 



THIS Crowfoot has been coiifidered by fome Authors as the fame Species with the Ranunculus refiens, but certainly 

 without any propriety, for there can be no doubt but they are as diftinet as any two ipecies of Ranunculus whatever 

 It is diftinguiftied from the repens by feveral peculiarities, the principal of which are, ill, itsrefiexed calyx, the turning 

 back of which does not depend on any accidental circumftances, but ioiely on its particular ftrudure ; if it be plucked 

 off, and held up to the light, the lower half of it will appear thin and almoft tranfparent, hence not having a fum- 

 cient degree of fohdity to fupport itfelf upright, it is resetted downwards ;— 2 dry, the root in this fpecies is round 

 and fiohd; m the repens it is fibrous : and 3 dly, (which perhaps may be coiifidered as the moft eflential difference) the 

 ftalk of the bulbofus is never known to throw out any Stolonesor Creepers, which the repens always does in every foil and 

 fit nation ' J 



This Species blows earlier than either the upright or creeping Crowfoot, and is the fecond flower, which next to 

 the Dandelion covers our meadows and paftures with that delightful yellow, which almoft dazzles the eye of the 

 beholder. J 



Like the reft of the Crowfoots it poffefles the property of inflaming and bliftenng the {kin, but more particularly 

 the Root, which is laid to raife blifters with lefs pain and more fafety, than Spanifh flies ; and hence where Blifters 

 have been thought neceflary, thefe roots have been applied for that purpofe, particularly to the Joints in cafes of the 

 Gout. On being kept they loole their ftimulating quality, and are even eatable when boiled. 



Hoffman informs us that Beggars make ufe of them to blifter their {kins in order to excite companion. 



The Juice of this herb is laid to be more acrid than that of the Ranunculus feeler atus, and if applyed to the noftrils 



provokes fneezing. 



Hogs are fond of the roots and will frequently dig them up. 



It abounds in dry paftures, and flowers in May ; it is cultivated when double as well as the upright meadow Crow- 

 foot, which laft occurs in almoft every Garden, under the name of Yellow Batchehrs Buttons. 



it 



