Ranunculus repens. Creeping C rowfoot.
RANUNCULUS Lin. Gen. PI. Po l y a n d r ia Po l y g y n ia .
Cal. 5-phyllus. Petala 5 intra ungues poro m'elllfero; Sem. nuda;
Rail Syn. Gen. 1$. Herbæ semine nudo polyspermæ.
RANUNCULUS repens càlycibus patulis, pedunculis fulcatis, ftolonibus repentlbus, foliià compofitis;
Lin. Syfi. Vegetab: p. 430. FI. Suec. n. 505. Sp. PI. 779;
RÂNUNCULÜS càüle repente radicato» foliis femitrilobatis, lobis petiolatis. Haller. Hiß. 1173-
RANUNCULUS repens. Scopoli FI. Cam. n. 689*
RANUNCULUS pratenfis repens hirfutus. Bauk. pin. 179*
RANUNCULUS pratenfis repens-. Parkin/. 329;
RANUNCULUS pratenfis etiamque hortenfis. Ger. emac. 951. Räii Syn. p; 2471 Commön creéping
Crowfoot, or Butter-cups; Hudßn Fl. Angl. ed. 2. p. 240. Lightfoot FI. Scot. p. 292.
RADIX plurimis fibris albentibus confiât.
GAULES ex una rädice plerumque pluresj pedales et
ultra, variæ magnitudinis, pro ratione loci, te-
retiufculi, hirfuti, repentes.
PÉTIOLI löngi, hirfuti, ad bafin dilatati.
FOLIA plerumque utrinque hirfuta (etiam glabra pc-
currunt) maculis albis fubinde notata, trilo-
bata, lobis petiolatis, bi et tripartitis, lobulis
acute dentatis.
RAMI fioriferi erefli, fiepius biflori.
PEDUNCNLI pubefcentes, ftriati.
C A L YX ; Perianthium pentaphyllum, foliolis ovatis,
concavis, patentibus, pilofis, flavefcentibus,
margine membranaceis, deciduis. fig. 1.
COROLLA : Petala quinque, obcordata, patentia,
flava, interne nitida, fig. 2.
NECTARIUM: Squamula parva, rotundata, ad bafin
cujufvis petali. f ig . 3.
STAMINA,: F ilamenta plurima, ultra triginta, re-
ceptaculo inferta, apice paululum dilatata; A nther
as olongo-lineares, compreflie, incurvatae,
flava;, fig. 4. ;_ . . ,
P1STILLUM: G ermina plurima, m capitulum collegia,
compreffa, ere£ta; Sty lis brevibus,
acuminatis, apice reflexis terminati ; Stigm
a t a fimplicia. fig. 5.
SEMEN compreffum, lave, mucronatum. fig. 6.
ROOT confifts of numerous whitifh fibres;
STALKS generally feveral from one root, a foot or
more in length, varying in fize according to
the place of growth* roundilh, befet with
rough hairs, and creeping.
LEAF-STALKS long, hairy and dilated at the bale;
LEAVES generally hairy on both fides (foinetimes they
are found fmooth and fhining) frequently
marked with white fpots, compofed or 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.
CA L YX ; a Perianthium of five leaves, which are
ovate, concave, fpreading, hairy, yellowifh,
membranous at the edge, and deciduous, fig. 1.
COROLLA: five Pe t al s, inverfely heart-fhaped,
fpreading, yellow, fhining on the infide. fig. 2.
NECTARY a fmali roundifh Scale at the bafe of each
petal, jig. 3. , . .
STAMINA: F ilaments numerous, upwards of thirty,
inferted into the receptacle, dilated a little at
top; A ntherje oblong and fomewhat linear,
flattened, bent inward, and yellow, fig. 4.
PISTILLUM: Germina numerous, colle&ed into a
little head, flattened and upright; terminated
by fhort, pointed Sty les, which turn back
| at top, Stigmata Ample, fig. 5.
? SEED flat, fmooth, with a fmali point, fig. 6.
The Ranunculus bulbofus is a very noxious plant in dry paftures, as the acris is in the .moift, and fomeof the
beft meadows about town j but where the repens abounds, it is more mifchievous than either of thofe, and it is a
plant fo general in its growth, that few meadows or paftures are entirely free from i t ; 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.
From the aftonifhing diverfity of foil and fituation in which this plant is found, the varieties which it affumes
are almoft endlefs; by rhe 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 fmali 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, mifled by his pupil W illich*, who fince has retraced his error, fufpefted 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 bioffotn during moft of the
remaining fummer months.
: the acris and bulbofus it is fometimes found double, but more rarely.
* XXXV Ranunculum bulbofum not
cuerunt. Utraque planta diverfitates
boiling. 1762.
■ eptntem mutari, ut in Ob/irvationibus Botanic!* a. 1747. p. 4. feripferam, ntfpcriorcs obfervationes do-
:onfiantes retinet, ab I I I . Linnæo nominibus fpecifieis optime expreffas. (Jbfervat. dcplant, quibufd.
It I