12. Ranunculus Cardiophyllus Hook. Heart-Leaved Buttercup

Fig. 1906

R. cardiophyllus Hook. Fl. Bor. Am. 1: 14. 1829.

Ranunculus pedatifidus cardiophyllus Britton, Bull. Torr. Club 18: 265. 1891.

Erect, 4'-15' high, simple or usually sparingly branched. Basal leaves long-petioled, orbicular to ovate or oblong-ovate, mostly 1'-1 1/2' broad, coarsely crenate, incised or shal-lowly lobed, those of the stem short-petioled or nearly sessile, deeply lobed or parted, the lobes narrow, mostly acute or acutish; flowers yellow, larger than in R. pedatifidus, 8"-10" broad, the petals much exceeding the densely tomentose calyx; head of fruit cylindric or ovoid-cylindric, 6"-8" long; achenes subor-bicular, slender-beaked, finely hairy.

In wet meadows and low grounds, Alberta and Saskatchewan to Nebraska and Colorado. May-Aug.

13. Ranunculus Alleni Robinson. Allen's Buttercup

Fig. 1907

Ranunculus Alleni Robinson, Rhodora 7: 220. 1905.

Sparingly pubescent, 4'--8' high, usually branched. Basal leaves long-petioled, orbicular to reniform, 7"-n' wide, coarsely crenate or incised, broadly cuneate to subcordate at the base; cauline leaves sessile or nearly so, deeply cleft or parted into 3-5 mostly oblong or elliptic segments; flowers bright yellow, 5 1/2" - 6 1/2" broad, the petals broad, not twice exceeding the loosely villous calyx; head of fruit ovoid to oval; achenes obliquely obovoid, glabrous, minutely beaked.

In moist grounds, Quebec. Aug. Confused with R. pedatifidus in our first edition.

14. Ranunculus Ovàlis Raf. Prairie Crowfoot

Fig. 1908

Ranunculus ovalis Raf. Proc. Dec. 36. 1814. Ranunculus rhomboideus Goldie, Edinb. Phil. Journ. 6: 329. 1822.

Pubescent, branching, 6'-18' high. Lower and basal leaves oval, oblong, or ovate-oblong, long-petioled, the blade 1' in length or more, crenate or slightly lobed, obtuse, the base more or less cuneate, rarely subcordate; upper cauline leaves sessile or short-petioled, deeply divided into 3-7 linear or oblong obtuse lobes; flowers yellow, 9"-12" broad, the petals narrow and much exceeding the calyx; head of fruit spherical; carpels and achenes oval or orbicular, minutely beaked.

In fields and on prairies, Labrador ( ?), Quebec and Ontario to Saskatchewan, Alberta, Illinois, Wisconsin and Nebraska. March-May.

15. Ranunculus Hàrveyi (A. Gray) Brit-Ton. Harvey's Buttercup

Fig. 1909

Ranunculus abortivus var. Harveyi A. Gray, Proc.

Am. Acad. 21: 372. 1886. R. Harveyi Britton, Mem. Torr. Club 5: 159. 1894.

Glabrous, stem erect, slender, branched, 8'-18' tall, from a cluster of narrowly fusiform roots. Leaves thin, the basal and lower ones long-petioled, reniform or suborbicular, obtusely crenate or somewhat lobed, 5"-18" wide, cordate, or some of them truncate at the base, the upper sessile or nearly so, deeply 3-cleft or 3-parted into linear or narrowly oblong entire or few-toothed obtuse segments; flowers bright yellow, 6"-9" broad; petals 4-8, oblong, 4 or 5 times as long as the reflexed sepals; head of fruit globose, 2" in diameter; achenes oblique, compressed, tipped with a minute straight beak.

On dry hillsides, Missouri and Arkansas. April-May.