146 
RANUNCULUS 
Locally abundant, usually in streams with a decided current and with a high mineral-content ; 
recorded from Cornwall and Kent northwards to southern and central Scotland, and with outlying 
recorded stations in Aberdeenshire, Banffshire, and co. Antrim ; often confused with river-states of 
R. aquatilis. 
Denmark, Germany, Holland, Belgium, France, central Europe (up to 948 m.), southern Russia, 
southern Europe ; northern Africa. 
Subseries iii. Eu-Aquatiles 
Eu-Aquatiles nobis. For characters, see page 14 1. 
21. R. aquatilis (see below). Submerged leaves sessile or shortly petioled, collapsing when taken 
out of the water. Floating leaves usually present, laminae divided about half-way down or a little 
more. Pedicels longer than in R. trichophyllus. Receptacle subglobose. Flowers 2‘o — 2^5 cm. in 
diameter. Petals contiguous or nearly so. Stigma short, broad. Achenes rather hirsute, about 
40 in each head. 
22. R. trichophyllus (p. 147). Submerged leaves sessile, primary divisions often stalked, 
collapsing or not when taken out of the water. Floating leaves often absent ; when present, partite 
or very deeply pinnatifid, lobes cuneate. Pedicels short, spreading and somewhat arched in fruit. 
Receptacle subglobose or a little longer than broad. Flowers about 1 — 2 cm. in diameter. Petals not 
contiguous. Stamens few. Stigma broad. Achenes hirsute, numerous, about 30 in each head. 
23. R. circinatus (p. 150). Submerged leaves suborbicular in outline, tending to remain in 
the horizontal plane, segments short, not collapsing when taken out of the water. Floating leaves 
absent. Pedicels reflexed in fruit. Receptacle subglobose. Flowers up to 2 cm. in diameter. 
Petals contiguous. Stigma narrow. Achenes rather hairy, numerous, about 30 in each head. 
21. RANUNCULUS AQUATILIS. Water Crowfoot. Plates 153, 154, 155; 146 
R. aquatilis Johnson in Gerard Herball ed. 2, 829 (1633); Ray Syn. ed. 3, 249 (1724). 
Ranunculus aquatilis L. Sp. PI. 556(1753) excl. vars. !; Godron in Mfan. Soc. Roy. Nancy 24(1840); 
Koch Syn. ed. 2, 12 (1843); Syme Eng. Bot. i, 19 (1863) excl. subsp. droueti p. 22 et subsp. trichophyllus p. 23; 
R. heterophyllus 1 Weber in Wiggers FI Holsat. 42 (1780) non Babington ; Hooker fil. Stud. FI. ed. 3, 5 (1884); 
R. diversifolius 2 [? Gilibert FI. Lithuan. v, 262 (1782); ? Schrank Baier. FI. ii, 103 (1789) inch R. peltatus ;] Rouy 
et Foucaud FI. France i, 63 (1893); R. peltatus Schrank Baier. FI. ii, 103 (1789); Babington in Ann. Nat. 
Mag. ser. 2, xvi, 398 (1855)!, inch var. floribundus\ p. 397; Batrachium heterophyllum Gray Nat. Arr. Brit. PI. 
ii, 721 (1821); Batrachium peltatum Fries V eg. Scand. 140 (1846)!; R. hydrocharis form truncatus Hiern op. cit. 
98 (1871) et form floribundus ; R. aquatilis var. heterophyllus DC. FI. France iv, 894 (1805) non ah; Koch Syn. 11 
(1835) inch var. truncatus ; R. diversifolius race peltatus Rouy et Foucaud FI France i, 63 (1893) inch race 
truncatus et race floribimdus. 
leones: — Babington in Eng. Bot. Suppl. t. 2965, as R. peltatus ; t. 2969, as R. floribundus \ FI. Dan. 
t. 2416, as R. aquatilis ; Reichenbach Icon, iii, t. 3, fig. 4576, as R. aquatilis var. heterophyllus subtruncatus (top 
right-hand figure). 
Camb. Brit. FI. iii. Plate ipj. (a) Flowering shoot, (b) Portion of fruiting branch. ( c , d) Leaves out of 
water, (e) Flowers. (/) Petal, (g) Achenes (enlarged). Sussex (T. H.). This was named “form truncatus" 
by Mr Hiern. Plate iyq. {a, b) Flowering shoots, (c) Leaf out of water, (d) Flower, (e) Petal (enlarged). 
(/) Receptacle, with 3 achenes. (g) Ovaries, (h) Achenes (enlarged). Kent (W. H. H.). 
Exsiccata : — Fellman, 3, as R. heterophyllus \ Fries, xii, 48, as B. peltatum ; Todaro, 1165, as R. aquatilis 
var. heterophyllus {— R. floribundus Bab.); 1170, as R. peltatus ; Wirtgen, vi, 217, et xix, 1055, as B. aquatile 
var. truncatum ; Herb. FI Ingric. ix, 1 2, as B. aquatile var. peltatum. 
Perennial. Branches 1 — 3 dm. long, or even longer in the states of deep water and quickly 
flowing streams. Submerged leaves well-developed, persistent ; sheaths long, adnate ; petioles usually 
1 We think it undesirable to take up this name for the present species. The name heterophyllus has been applied to 
so very many different water crowfoots that we reject it altogether as a tionten confusum. 
a We are unable to see that any advantage is gained by utilising Gilibert’s name for the present species. Its significance 
is debateable, whilst the original binominal of Linnaeus was definitely limited and fixed by Godron who has been followed 
by most later botanists. 
