Ranunculus repens. Creeping Crowfoot 
RANUNCULUS Lin. Gen. PI. Polyandria Polygynia. 
Cal. 5-phyllus. Pelala 5 intra ungues pdro 'mellifero. Sent. nuda. 
Raii Syn. Gen. 15. Herb.® semine nudo polysperm®’. 
RANUNCULUS repens calycibus patulis, pedunculis fulcatis, ftolonibus repentibus, foliis compofitis. 
Lin. Syfi. Vegetab. p. 430. FI. Suec. n. 505. Sp. PI. 779. 
RANUNCULUS caule repente radicato, foliis femitrilobatisj lobis petiolatis. Haller. Hifi. 1173* 
RANUNCULUS repens. Scopoli FI. Carn. n. 689. 
RANUNCULUS pratenfis repens hirfutus. Bauh. pin. 179. 
RANUNCULUS pratenfis repens. Parkinf. 329. 
RANUNCULUS pratenfis etiamque hortenfis. Genetnac.951. Raii Syn. p. 247. Comriaon creeping 
Crowfoot, or Butter-cups. Hudfon FI. Angl. ed. 2. p. 240. Lightfodt FI. Scot. p. 292. 
RADIX plurimis fibris albentibus confiat; 
CAULES ex una radice plerumque plures, pedales et 
ultra, variae magnitudinis, pro ratione loci, te- 
retiufculi, hirfuti, repentes; 
PETIOLI longi, hirfuti, ad bafin dilatati. 
FOLIA plerumque utrinque hirfuta (etiam glabra oc- 
currunt) 'maculis albis fubinde notata, trilo- 
bata, lobis petiolatis, bi et tripartitis, lobulis 
acute dentatis. 
RAMI floriferi eredti, depius biflori; 
PEDUNCNLI pubefcentes, ftriati. 
CALYX: Perianthium pentaphyllum, foliolis ovatis, 
concavis, patentibus, pilofis, flavefcentibus, 
margine membranaceis, deciduis, fig. i. 
COROLLA : Petala quinque, obcordata, patentia, 
flava, interne nitida, fig. 2. 
NECTARIUM : Squamula parva, rotundata, ad bafin 
cujufvis petali, fig. 3. 
STAMINA : Filamenta plurima, ultra triginta, re- 
ceptaculo inferta, apice paululum dilatata j An- 
ther® olongo-lineares, compreflie, incurvatae, 
flavae, fig. 4. 
PISTILLUM: Germina plurima, in capitulum col- 
ledta, comprefla, ere&a ; Stylis brevibus, 
acuminatis, apice reflexis terminati ; Stig- 
mata fimplicia. fig. 5. 
SEMEN compreflum, laeve, mucronatum, fig. 6. 
ROOT coufifts of numerous whitifh fibresi 
STALKS generally feveral from one root, a foot or 
more in length, varying in fize accord ng to 
the place of growth, roundilh, befet with 
rough hairs, and creeping. 
LEAF-STALKS long, hairy and dilated at the bafe. 
LEAVES generally hairy on both fides (fometimes they 
are found fmooth and (hilling) frequently 
marked with white fpots, compofed of three 
lobes, or fmaller leaves which have footftalks, 
thefe are divided into two or three fegments, 
and fharply notched. 
FLOWER-BRANCHES upright, generally fupporting 
two flowers. 
FLOWER-STALKS downy and ftriated. 
CALYX : a Perianthium of five leaves, which are 
ovate, concave, lpreading, hairy, yellowilh, 
membranous at the edge, and deciduous, fig. 1. 
COROLLA : five Petals, inverfely heart-fhaped, 
fpreading, yellow, (hining on the infide, fig. 2. 
NECTARY a fmall roundilh Scale at the bafe of each 
petal. Jig- 3. 
STAMINA : Filaments numerous, upwards of thirty, 
inferted into the receptacle, dilated a little at 
top ; Anther® oblong and fomewhat linear, 
flattened, bent inward, and yellow, fig. 4. 
PISTILLUM: Germina numerous, collected into a 
little head, flattened and upright ; terminated 
by (hort, pointed Styles, which turn back 
at top, Stigmata Ample, fig. 5. 
SEED flat, fmooth, with a fmall point, fig. 6. 
The Ranunculus bulbofus is a very noxious plant in dry paftures, as the acris is in the moifi, and fome of the 
beft meadows about town ; but where the repens abounds, it is more milchievous than either of thofe, and it is a 
plant fo general in its growth, that few meadows or paftures are entirely free from it ; it differs from the other 
two Crowfoots, in having ftalks which run along the ground, and at every joint fending forth roots, and being a 
plant that will thrive in almoft any foil, it is very apt to become the principal plant of the pafturage, to the 
great detriment of the farmer, as cattle in general have the greateft averfion to the Crowfoots. 
Fiom the aftonifhing diverfity of foil and fituatitm in which this plant is found, the varieties which it aflume3 
are almoft endlefs ; by the Thames fide it will grow three or four feet high, with a ftem nearly as large as one’s 
thumb ; in barren, gravelly fields, it is entirely procumbent, with a ftalk not larger than a fmall wheat ftraw, 
but in all its various ftates I have ever found it to have a creeping ftalk, and this is a character which it does not 
lofe by cultivation. Haller, milled by his pupil WilLich *, who fince has retraced his error, fufpe&ed it to 
be a variety of the bulbofus , but the bulbofus was never known to creep, this does wherever its ftalk can touch the 
ground. 
Its principal time of flowering is in the month of June, but it may be found in blofiotn during moil of the 
remaining dimmer months. 
Like the acris and bulbofus it is fometimes found double, but more rarely. 
* XXXV Ranunculum bulbofum non in repentem mutari, ut in Obfervoticnibus Botanici r a. 1747. p. 4. feripferam, nuperiores obfervationes do- 
cuerunt. Utraque plauta diverluates fuas conflantes retinet, ab III. Lin nAo nominibus l'peciticis optime expeeflas. Ubfervat, de plant, quibujd. 
Lolling. 1762. 
