RANU 



CIjc Creagurg of 280taitj?. 



958 



Excessive richness of soil, and a too copious 

 supply of manure, are generally the mov- 

 ing causes, though some varieties are 

 naturally so luxuriant that they require 

 grafting, or something which may check 

 their growth. Pears, for this reason, are 

 beneficially grafted on quince stocks ; hut 

 where this has not been done, lifting and 

 root-pruning are indispensable. We do 

 not, however, recommend gardeners to 

 adopt root-pruning as a system without 

 reference to the nature of the soil or con- 

 dition of their trees. If the soil is natu- 

 rally sterile, and the growth moderately 

 luxuriant, root-pruning may induce per- 

 manent mischief, as we can ourselves bear 

 witness. In this case, as in many others 

 in horticultural matters, 'a little know- 

 ledge is a dangerous thing.' [M. J. B.J 



RANUNCULACEJ3. (Ranunculi, Podo- 

 phyllacece, Crowfoots.) A considerable or- 

 der of polypetalous dicotyledons, charac- 

 terised chiefly by definite deciduous sepals, 

 indefinite hypogynous stamens, several 

 free ovaries, seeds without an arillus, and 

 a homogeneous albumen with a minute 

 embryo. "With the exception of Clematis, 

 the species are almost all herbaceous, with 

 radical or alternate leaves, very frequently 

 much cut or divided ; the sepals are gene- 

 rally four or five, and more or less colour- 

 ed; the petals always free when present, 

 but often small and scale-like, or spurred 

 or otherwise deformed, or altogether 

 wanting ; the carpels of the fruit either 

 single-seeded and seed-like, or capsular 

 with several seeds, often opening into 

 follicles. The species are numerous in 

 Europe and Northern Asia, less so in 

 North America; and there are several 

 in the temperate regions of the south- 

 ern hemisphere, but very few within the 

 tropics, except in mountain districts. 

 Throughout the order there is a tendency 

 to an acrid.caustic, and more or less poison- 

 ous principle, very volatile in the foliage 

 and herbaceous parts, but sometimes very 

 virulent in the roots. There are about 

 forty genera, of which the principal are : 

 Clematis, Thahctrum, Anemone, Ranun- 

 culus, Caltha, Trollius, Helleborus, Nigelia, 

 Aqullegia,- Delphinium, Aconitum, Actcea, 

 and Paionia. 



RANUNCULUS. An extensive genus of 

 herbaceous plants giving name to the or- 

 der Ranunndacea;, and distinguished by 

 the following characters ;— Sepals five, not 

 prolonged at the base; petals five, with 

 a nectariferous scale at the base ; fruit 

 without awns. There are reckoned to be 

 about twenty British species, which may 

 popularly be arranged into several groups. 

 The common meadow weeds with glossy 

 yellow flowers, known by the names But- 

 tercups, Golden-cups, and King-cups, be- 

 long to one or other of the following 

 species— R. acris, R. bulbosus, and R. repens, 

 of which the first may be discriminated 

 by its slender cylindrical flower-stalk and 

 spreading calyx ; the second by its furrowed 

 flower-stalk, reflexed calyx, and bulbous 

 root ; the third by its furrowed flower 



stalk, spreading calyx, and creeping scions. 

 R. auricomus approaches nearest to R. acris 

 in habit, but grows in woods, has the ca- 

 lyx coloured, frequently has one or more 

 of its petals abortive, and has the upper 

 leaves smooth and divided into very nar- 

 row segments. R. sceleratus is a coarse 

 succulent aquatic, with glossy divided 

 leaves, small yellow flowers, and oblong 

 heads of fruit. R. arvensis, common in 

 cornfields, is a slender plant about a foot 

 high, sufficiently marked by its large 

 prickly fruit. All the above have divided 

 leaves and yellow flowers. R. Lingua and R. 

 Flammula, Greater and Lesser Spearwort, 

 have lanceolate undivided leaves, and 

 grow in watery places— the former two to 

 four feet high with large yellow flowers ; 

 the latter also with yellow flowers six 

 to eighteen inches high. R. aquatihs, the 

 Wauer Crowfoot, with its varieties, by 

 some botanists considered species, is the 

 common aquatic with showy white flowers, 

 long flexible stems, bearing numerous 

 leaves, of which the submersed ones are 

 capillary, while the upper are plane, vari- 

 ously lobed, and floating ; when growing 

 in swift-running water, the upper leaves 

 and flowers are not developed, and the 

 lower may be compared to a tuft of bright 

 green hair waving to and fro in the cur- 

 rent. The Lesser Celandine, the showy 

 star-like yellow flower which enlivens 

 every bank in early spring, is by some 

 botanists called R. Ficaria, by others Fica- 

 ria : which see. Most of the above have 

 very acrid properties, which renders their 

 presence in meadow-lands objectionable ; 

 but the herbage of R. aquatihs is not only 

 innoxious, but nutritive to cattle. 



Among cultivated species R. asiaticus 

 affords the endless varieties of Ranunculus 

 grown by florists. White Bachelor's But- 

 tons (Pr. Boutons d' Argent) are the flowers 

 of R. aconitifolius, and Yellow Bachelor's 

 Buttons (Pr. Boutons aVOr) are those of a 

 double variety of R. acris. Several species 

 of humble growth, but having comparative- 

 ly large flowers, grow in the Arctic regions, 

 or high up on the mountains in most parts 

 of the world. French : Renoncule; German : 

 Ranunkel. [C. A. J.] 



RAOULIA. A genus of Compositor nearly 

 related to Gnaphalium and Helichriisum, 

 and, according to Dr. Hooker, differing 

 mainly from these in their peculiar habit, 

 and the narrow receptacle of the flower- 

 heads. The species, mostly from New 

 Zealand, grow in dense tufts in rocky 

 mountainous places, and have the aspect of 

 mosses, their short branches being densely 

 clothed with minute smooth or woolly 

 leaves. Sitting at the apex of each short 

 twig is a single white starry flower-head 

 closely surrounded with leaves. In some 

 species, as R. grandiflora, where the heads 

 are three-quarters of an inch across, the 

 inner scales of the involucre are white, 

 and have the appearance of ray-florets, 

 which, however, are tubular and fertile, 

 the disk-florets being also tubular and per- 

 fect. The achenes are smooth or downy, 



