THE WILD SPECIES OP RANUNCULUS. 
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THE WILD SPECIES OF RANUNCULUS. 
The character of the genus Eanunculus is 
thus explained by botanists : — 
Calyx of five (rarely three) sepals, not 
elongated at the base. Petals five, sometimes 
more, with a nectariferous gland at the base, 
which is either naked, or covered by a scale. 
Carpels, not bursting, ovate, subcompressed 
with a mucronated apex, collected into a glo- 
bular or elliptic head. Several species are 
natives of this country, some common in pas- 
tures, and familiarly known as buttercups : 
they are mostly acrid, and when bruised pro- 
duce blister ; but this acridity is destroyed by 
drying or by heat. 
Ranunculus Flammula, Linnaeus (lesser 
Spearwort). — Root fibrous ; stem reclined and 
rooting at the base ; leaves ovate — or linear- 
lanceolate, stalked; carpels obovate, smooth, 
with a minute terminal beak. A herbaceous 
perennial, with numerous long fibrous roots ; 
the stems are creeping below, and erect and 
branching above, and grow from a few inches 
to two feet high, with numerous alternate 
leaves, which in the upper parts of the plant 
are linear-lanceolate, and at the base are ovate- 
lanceolate, with a long channelled petiole, 
dilated, and embracing the stem. The flowers 
are numerous, consisting of five roundish 
wedge-shaped, bright yellow petals : the car- 
pels are obovate, " minutely pitted with a 
small point." Flowers from June to Septem- 
ber. Found commonly in marshes and watery 
places. There are two varieties : one called 
reptans has a more procumbent stem, and is, 
altogether, smaller ; this is by some considered 
as a species : the other, called ovata, has nearly 
all the leaves ovate. The plant is very acrid, 
speedily producing inflammation and blisters 
on the skin. The distilled water is said by 
Withering to be an emetic, more instantaneous 
and less offensive than sulphate of zinc ; and 
in his opinion preferable to any other emetic. 
Ranunculus Lingua, Linnaeus (great Spear- 
wort). — Root fibrous ; stem erect ; leaves 
elongate-lanceolate, acute, somewhat serrated, 
sessile, and clasping the stem ; carpels mar- 
gined, minutely pitted with a broad sword- 
shaped beak. This is a herbaceous perennial, 
resembling R. Flammula, but altogether 
larger. The stem grows two, three, or even 
four feet high, and the leaves are sessile, and 
half embracing the stem. The flowers are 
not very numerous, but they are large — twice 
the size of those of R. Flammula — bright 
yellow, and handsome. Flowers in July. Found 
in wet marshy places, but rather rare, and 
chiefly met with in the north of England and 
in Scotland. A slight variety called major 
has the leaves broadly lanceolate. 
Ranunculus ophioglossifolius, Villars (ser- 
pent's tongue Spearwort). — Root fibrous ; 
stem erect ; lower leaves cordate - ovate, 
stalked, upper ones oblong, sessile, stem 
clasping ; carpels obliquely ovate, margined, 
tuberculated with a short terminal point. An 
annual species, with a branching erect stem 
about a foot high, throwing out whorls of 
fibrous roots from its lower joints, and bear- 
ing numerous small flowers. The whole plant 
is glabrous. The beads of fruit are large in 
comparison of the size of the other parts of 
the plant. Flowers in June and July. Found 
rarely in Jersey in marshy spots (St. Peter's 
Marsh). 
Ranunculus gramineus, Linnaeus (grassy 
Crowfoot). — Root fibrous, the fibres thicken- 
ing towards the end ; stem erect, very smooth, 
with few flowers ; leaves linear - lanceolate, 
many ribbed ; carpels obliquely obovate, ru- 
gose, with a short revolute beak ; nectary 
tubular. A herbaceous perennial, with an 
erect stem from twelve to eighteen inches 
high, branching and bearing a few moderate- 
sized bright yellow flowers, with broadly 
wedge-shaped petals ; the root -leaves are 
linear-lanceolate, of a pale glaucous green, 
and the stem sometimes bears one or two 
narrow linear ones. Flowers in May and 
June. Said to have been found in North 
Wales, but a very doubtful native. Miller 
says in 1771, "We have not yet got it in 
England." 
Ranunculus Ficaria, Linnaeus (Pilewort, or 
lesser Celandine). — Root with fasciculated 
tubers ; stem leafy, single flowered ; leaves 
cordate stalked, • angular ; carpels smooth, 
blunt. A herbaceous perennial, with numer- 
ous stems, each bearing one flower, and at the 
base several leaves which are spotted at top 
with black ; these stems grow six or eight 
inches high, and often produce bulbs in the 
bosom of the leaf-stalks : the calyx is usually 
of three pieces — sometimes five ; and the pe- 
tals are usually eight in number (but this is 
variable) elliptic-oblong, acute, of a bright 
shining golden yellow, greenish at the back. 
Flowers in April and May. Found commonly 
in woods, pastures, and shady places about 
hedge banks. It is also called Ficaria verna. 
The leaves of this plant have the reputation 
of being a useful antiscorbutic ; and the root, 
which is composed of several oblong bulbs, 
when bruised and made into a poultice, is said 
to be useful as an external application to piles. 
Withering says the young leaves may be eaten 
in spring along with other potherbs. 
Ranunculus auricomus, Linnaeus (Goldi- 
locks, or wood Crowfoot). — Root fibrous ; 
stem many flowered ; radical leaves, reniform, 
three cleft, notched, stem leaves sessile, digi- 
tate, with linear-lanceolate segments ; carpels 
downy, ventricose, with a slender hooked beak. 
