RANUN CULUS ASIA'TICUS. 
GARDEN RANUNCULUS. 
Class. Order. 
POLYANDRIA. POLY GYNIA. 
Natural Order. 
RAN UNCULACEiE. 
Native of 
Height. 
Flowers in 
Duration. 
Cultivated 
Levant. 
9 inches. 
May, June. 
Perennial. 
in 1596. 
No 271. 
There appears no doubt respecting 1 the word 
Ranunculus, having been derived from the Latin 
rana, a frog ; but it is rather difficult to apply the 
term satisfactorily to the genus of plants which it is 
used to distinguish. It is said to have been used 
on account of many species of the Ranunculus being 
found natives of such moist situations as are fre- 
quented by frogs ; but the difficulty increases when 
it is considered that our present plant is not a native 
of such wet situations, although Dioscorides used a 
word of similar meaning, the Greek batrachion 
to distinguish it. The divided leaf, and also the 
roots, have been compared to a frog’s foot, but 
neither of these can be considered very happy com- 
parisons. Asiaticus, from its native country. The 
variety from which our drawing was taken, is known 
amongst florists by the name of Nestor. 
The Ranunculus has long been held in high esti- 
mation, as one amongst that class of beauties denomi- 
nated Florist’s Flowers ; and none, surely, can show 
more legitimate claim to the distinction. To point 
out the numberless attractions of its numerous va- 
rieties, will readily be conceived to be no easy task. 
