148 
THE FLOEAL WOELD AND GAEDEN GUIDE. 
Buttercup, Ranunculus repens , the buttercup of the meadows. The 
leaves near the root are marked with a dark spot in the centre, 
the flowers are glossy and plentiful, and of the fullest tint of 
yellow, the root is fibrous, with a tuberous base, and from the base 
of the stem go forth many creeping scions which put out roots 
from the joints. 
The following species of ranunculus are worth hunting for now. 
The Ivy-leaved Crowfoot, Ranunculus hederacea, showing [its first 
flowers late in the month in marshy places. The leaves are kidney- 
shaped ; the flowers white; the stem puts out roots at almost 
every joint. The Water Crowfoot, R. aquatilis, is well known ; but 
if you never once noticed it, you have but to look out for its white 
flowers on rivers and ponds to make sure of knowing it the first 
time you see it. The leaves that lie on the surface of the water are 
boldly lobed ; those that are submerged are cut into fine divisions 
like curly hairs of a dark green colour. The Floating-water 
Crowfoot, R. fluitans, which resembles the last in habit, but differs 
in having its leaves much elongated and divided, and the stem very 
SECTION OF BUTTERCUP BLOSSOM, 
a, petal ; b, stamens ; c, pistils ; d, flower-stem, or peduncle ; 
e, receptacle. 
long and round. The flowers are white. The Lesser Spear-wort, 
R. Jlammula, another of the marsh-inhabiting species, varies much 
in character, but always produces many yellow flowers and leaves 
that vary in form from linear to ovate, very different indeed to the 
leaves of the meadow buttercups. The Wood Crowfoot, Goldilocks, 
or Golden-haired buttercup, R. Auricomus, inhabits woods and 
shady places, producing a few yellow flowers and two sorts of leaves ; 
those at the base roundish, heart-shaped, and thrice divided ; those 
on the stem cut into linear segments — or say — resembling fingers. 
The Upright Meadow Crowfoot, R. acris, produces an abundance of 
beautiful yellow flowers, which contribute largely now to the 
splendour of the pastures. It is a true buttercup, with fibrous 
root, a stem one to two feet high, and hairy leaves deeply lobed and 
cut. The Creeping Crowfoot, R. repens, is extremely common in 
pasture and waste places; the radical leaves are usually stained 
