Stylocoryne
ORD. Rubiaceae. A genus comprising about ninety species of erect or climbing, unarmed or spiny, stove, evergreen trees or shrubs, allied to Gardenia, inhabiting tropical regions, mostly in Asia and Africa. Flowers white or yellow, rarely pink, small or large, solitary, corymbose or fascicled, axillary, very rarely terminal; calyx tube ovoid, obovoid, or turbinate, the limb usually tubular, rarely toothed or lobed; corolla funnel-shaped, campanulate, or hypocrateriform, with a short or elongated tube, a glabrous or villous throat, and a limb of five (rarely more) acute or obtuse, twisted lobes; stamens five. Leaves obovate, oblong, or lanceolate, usually coriaceous. A selection of the introduced species is here given; they are shrubs, except where otherwise indicated. For culture, see Gardenia. R. aculeata (prickly). Indigo Berry. fl. white, axillary, sessile, solitary, hypocrateriform; corolla tube twice as long as the calyx teeth. July fr. the size of a small cherry. l. obovate, highly glabrous, sub-sessile, cuneate at base. Branchlets glabrous: spines rigid, opposite the axils, spreading. h. 12ft. West Indies, 1733. SYN. Gardenia Randia (B. M. 1841). R. dumetorum (bushy). fl. white, at length yellow; calyx tube longer than the lanceolate corolla lobes; corolla silky outside. July. Fr. large, ovate-cordate, shining. l. opposite or fasciculate, obovate-cuneate, smooth. h. 5ft. East Indies, 1825. A much-branched shrub or small tree, with axillary, rigid spines. SYN. R. floribunda.
R. fasciculata (fascicled). fl. white, sweet-scented, at length yellowish; fascicles sub-sessile. July. l. ovate-oblong, sub-sessile, smooth. h. 4ft. East Indies, 1824. A much-branched shrub, with axillary, spreading spines. R. floribunda (bundle-flowered). A synonym of R dumetorum. R. horrida (horrid). fl. white, in trichotomous, sub-terminal racemes. May. fr. black. l. ovate-lanceolate, glabrous. Branches reclinate; branchlets decussate; spines large, opposite, horn-like. h. 5ft. Cochin China, 1825. R. macrantha (large-flowered).* fl. pale yellow, axillary or terminal on the ultimate branchlets, solitary; calyx lobes somewhat leaf-like; corolla tube very long. June. l. obovate-oblong, acuminate, shortly petiolate, membranous, obsoletely pubescent beneath and on the veins. h. 9ft. to 30ft. Brazil, 1815. Unarmed climbing shrub or small tree. (B. M. 3809, under name of R. Bowieana; B. R. 1846, 63, under name of Gardenia Devoniana.) R. maculata (spotted).* fl. white; corolla almost glabrous or scarcely puberulous, with a very long tube. April. l. subcoriaceous, shining, highly glabrous, oblong, very shortly petiolate. Sierra Leone, 1843. A small, unarmed, highly glabrous tree. (B. M. 4185, under name of Gardenia Stanleyana.) R. malleifera (hammer-bearing). fl. white, solitary, terminal, tomentose; corolla tube cylindrical, club-shaped, expanded into a broad, funnel-shaped limb. July. l. ternate, obovate, cuspidate, cuneate at base, shortly petiolate, highly glabrous. h. 4ft to 6ft. Sierra Leone, 1843. SYNS. Gardenia malleifera (B. M. 4307), G. Whitefieldii.
R. rotundifolia (round-leaved). fl. white, solitary, sessile; corolla twice as long as the calyx. July. fr. yellowish. l. subrotundate or ovate, pubescent on both sides, wrinkled. Branches and spines sub-verticillate. h. 6ft. Peru, 1820.
RANUNCULACEAE. A natural order of herbs, rarely shrubs or woody climbers, dispersed over nearly the whole of the globe. Flowers regular or rarely irregular, hermaphrodite or by abortion dioecious; inflorescence usually terminal, racemose or paniculate; sepals three to many, usually five, hypogynous, free, commonly petaloid and deciduous, imbricated or valvate; petals as many as the sepals, or numerous, sometimes flat and conspicuous, sometimes small, deformed, or even absent, imbricated; stamens usually numerous and manyseriate, hypogynous, free; anther connectives continuous with the flaments; carpels many or rarely solitary, free or rarely sub-connate. Fruit of pointed or feathery achenes, or of follicles, which are rarely united into a capsule. Leaves radical or alternate (in Clematideoe opposite) entire or palmately or sub-pinnately dissected; petioles often dilated, amplexicaul or rarely furnished with stipuliform appendages. Most of the Ranunculaceae possess acrid, and more or less poisonous, but nevertheless volatile, properties. The juice of the leaves of Clematis Vitalba is employed by beggars for producing artificial sores. Several species of Helleborus possess purgative and poisonous properties. The narcotic and poisonous characters of the Aconites are well-known. The order comprises thirty genera, and upwards of 1200 species have been described, many of which are highly ornamental garden plants. Examples: Aconitum, Anemone, Clematis, Delphinium, Poeonia, and Ranunculus.
RANUNCULUS (a Latin name for a little frog; applied by Pliny to these plants, the aquatic species growing where frogs abound). Buttercup; Crowfoot. Including Ceratocephalus and Ficaria. ORD. Ranunculaceae. A large genus (about 160 species) of mostly hardy annual herbs (or at length often having perennial stems), dispersed over the whole globe, but most copious in temperate and frigid regions, particularly in the Northern hemisphere; within the tropics, a few only are found, and these on the tops of mountains. Flowers white, yellow, or red, terminal, solitary or paniculate, rarely sessile in the axils of the branchlets; sepals three to five, caducous; petals equal in number, or more (sometimes as many as fifteen), with a nectar-bearing scale at the base, conspicuous or rarely minute; stamens shorter than the sepals and petals, often numerous, very few in some few-flowered species; achenes compressed or sub-globose, smooth or variously striated, ribbed, wrinkled, or bristly. Leaves entire or dissected; those at the divisions of the stem often small. According to Hooker, sixteen species are included in the British Flora; some of these, although common weeds, are pretty objects when in flower, and hence are described below. Except where otherwise stated, all the species here mentioned are hardy. Nearly all are of easy culture in mixed borders, or in rock gardens; they usually prefer rather moist situations and loamy soil. R. asiaticus has long been in cultivation. This species and its numerous varieties require special and very different treatment from any of the others, but whenever the plants succeed and flower, their beauty will be sure to compensate for any extra attention bestowed. Propagation is effected by seeds, and by division.
For the varieties of the garden Ranunculus (R. asiaticus) special beds should be prepared by taking out the ordinary soil to a depth of about 1 1/2ft. to 2ft., placing some drainage in the bottom, if there is a suspicion of stagnant moisture, and filling up with a prepared compost. This should consist of two parts loam to one of leaf soil and thoroughly decayed cowdung. Plenty of sharp, river or road sand should be intermixed, the compost prepared, and the beds made up some time, if possible, before planting time. The safest time to plant is towards the end of February, should weather permit; autumn planting is sometimes practised, but it is unsafe, because of the roots being liable to perish through winter. The soil must be rendered fine on the surface, and raised a little above the edges. The roots, which are small and somewhat like small claws, may be inserted about 6in. apart, and all placed at an equal depth of 1 1/2in. or 2in. The claws must be set downwards, and pressed firmly in place; afterwards, a little sand should be scattered in, and then covered with fine prepared soil. When the flowers begin to expand, it is advisable, if convenient, to place a light awning over them, to afford shade and shelter; but this is not absolutely necessary. Should the weather be dry, water must be supplied in sufficient quantity to prevent the soil cracking; it should be given at intervals in the evening. The Ranunculus likes plenty of moisture, but over-abundant supplies generally cause the leaves to turn yellow and die off prematurely; a top-dressing of leaf mould or cocoa-nut fibre is of great service in retaining moisture. So soon as the leaves ripen and turn yellow, after flowering is over, the tubers should be lifted and stored away in a dry, airy compartment, in drawers, or suspended in paper bags, until planting time again arrives. This lifting of the roots at the proper time is a most important part of the management. There are two principal sections of the garden Ranunculus; one is known as the Persian, and the other the Turban. Varieties of the first-named are very compact and symmetrical in habit, and all their flowers are very beautiful. The Turban forms are somewhat coarser in growth, but are of hardier constitution than the Persian. There are not so many varieties of these, but they are well adapted for massing in beds and borders. Collections of varieties are usually selected and sent out by nurserymen and bulb merchants; it is, therefore, unnecessary to enumerate descriptions.
R. aconitifolius (Aconite-leaved).* fl. white, few or numerous; calyx pressed, smooth; petals oblong, cuneated, or orbicular. May and June. l. palmately three to five-parted, with the partitions deeply toothed; upper leaves sessile, cleft into linear-lanceolate lobes. Stem branched. h. 6in. to 2ft. Europe, 1596. The flowers of varieties of this species are known in gardens by the name of White Bachelors' Buttons. The double-flowered from is the most ornamental, and is generally known in gardens under the names of Fair Maids of France and Fair Maids of Kent.(B. M. 204.) R. acris (sharp). Common Buttercup; Gold Knots. fl. yellow, 1in. in diameter; sepals and petals spreading, the former pubescent; peduncles not furrowed. April to September. l. usually all petiolate, orbicular or five-angled in outline, three to seven-parted, the uppermost ones sessile; segments of lower leaves cuneate, deeply cut and lobed, those of the upper ones linear and entire. Stem erect. Rootstock straight. h. 8in. to 3ft. Europe (Britain), North Asia. Plant hairy. (Sy. En. B. 33.) A double-flowered form of this species--Yellow Bachelors' Buttons--is figured in B. M. 215. R. alpestris (alpine). fl. white, varying in size, either single or double, usually one to a stem; petals five, obcordate or threelobed. June to August. l. orbicular-cordate, three-lobed, with the tops deeply crenate at the apex, blunt; sometimes the leaves are trifid, or hardly so. h. 3in. to 6in. Pyrenees, &c.
R. amplexicaulis (stem-clasping).* fl. snowy-white under cultivation, seldom double; scapes and peduncles smooth. April and May. l. oval-lanceolate, acuminate, stem-clasping, smooth, or with a few deciduous hairs on the edges, glaucous. Stems three to six-flowered. h. 3in. to 9in. Pyrenees and Western Alps, 1633. See Fig. 353. (B. M. 266; G. C. n. s., xix. 788; R. G. 1885, 244.) R. anemonoides (Anemone-like).* fl. white, tinted with pink, pale outside, large, and rather attractive, borne on peduncles 3in. to 6in. high. Summer. l. glaucous-green, biternately divided, the segments cut into linear divisions. Styrian Alps, &c., 1883. A charming little plant.
R. aquatilis (aquatic). Lodewort; Ram's Foot, &c. fl. white; peduncles usually leaf-opposed, one-flowered. May to August. l. floating ones three-lobed, or parted or absent; submerged ones di-or trichotomously multifid, the segments capillary or linear; stipules broad. Temperate regions (Britain). A very variable plant, of which the following are enumerated, by Hooker, as sub-species: circinatus, fluitans, heterophyllus, pantothrix, and tripartitus. R. asiaticus (Asiatic).* Common Garden Ranunculus. fl. variable in colour; calyx spreading, afterwards reflexed; petals large, obovate, very blunt. May and June. l. ternate or biternate; segments toothed or deeply trifid. Stem erect, simple or branched at the base. h. 9in. Levant, 1596. Under cultivation, this has nearly always double flowers. See Fig. 354. R. a. sanguineus (bloody).* Turkey Ranunculus. fl. purple, yellow, orange, and variegated with the same colours, excluding all colours verging on white or blue, always double. l. ternate; segments toothed, obtuse. Stem simple. R. a. tenuilobus (slender-lobed). fl. white, yellow, rarely purple. l. multifid, with linear, acute lobes. Stem somewhat branched. R. a. vulgaris (common). Persian Ranunculus. fl. of all colours (blue excepted), and variegated, double or single. l. ternate; segments trifid, acute. Stem branched at the bottom. A very ornamental plant, having innumerable forms in gardens.
R. bulbosus (bulbous-rooted). Cuckoo Buds; Gold Cup. fl. yellow, with furrowed peduncles, reflexed sepals, and hairy receptacle. Spring and early summer. l. trifoliolate or ternatisect, hairy; segments lobed. h. 1ft. Europe, Asia, North Africa (Sy. En. B. 35.) R. cardiophyllus (heart-leaved). fl. golden, large; calyx spreading, half as long as the corolla. May. l., radical ones roundish-cordate, crenate and multifid; cauline ones palmately multifid: lobes linear, deeply crenate. h. 1ft. North America, 1829. Plant pubescent, hairy. (B. M. 2999.) R. cassubicus (Cassubian). fl. yellow; calyx pubescent, shorter than the petals. June and July. l. smooth; radical ones stalked, kidney-shaped, crenate; cauline ones divided into linear, serrated lobes. h. 6in. Northern and Eastern Europe, &c., 1794. (B. M. 2267.) R. cortusaefolius (Cortusa-leaved).* fl. yellow; calyx spreading. May. l., as well as the stem, slightly pilose; radical ones somewhat cordate-reniform, slightly lobed, broadly crenate; cauline ones sub-sessile, three to five-parted; floral ones lanceolate. Stem branched, corymbose. h. 2ft. Teneriffe, 1826. (B. M. 4625; L. J. F. iii. 293.) R. creticus macrophyllus (large-leaved Cretan). fl. golden, large; calyx pressed. April and May. l. profoundly lobed, with slightly rounded teeth. Stem branched, many-flowered, and, as well as the leaves, slightly hairy. h. 1ft. Grecian Archipelago, 1658. (B. R. 1432.) R. Ficaria (Figwort). Lesser Celandine; Pilewort. fl. bright yellow, about 1in. in diameter, sometimes apetalous; peduncles stout, axillary, one-flowered. March to May. l. variable, cordate, obtusely angled or crenate; petioles stout, dilated at base. Stem short, decumbent, branched at base. Europe (Britain, &c.). See Fig. 355. (Sy. En. B. 39.) R. Flammula (Flammula). Lesser Spearwort. fl. yellow, rarely 3/4in. in diameter; style of achenes short, obtuse. June to August. l., lowest ones petiolate, ovate; upper ones more lanceolate and sessile. Europe (Britain). Plant prostrate or erect. (F. D. 572; Sy. En. B. 29.) R. fumariaefolius (Fumitory-leaved). fl. yellow, always double; sepals ovate-oblong, spreading; scapes numerous, one-flowered, leafless or furnished with one multifid leaf about the middle, clothed with adpressed hairs. May to July. l. quite smooth, pinnate, many-parted; lobes oblong. h. 1ft. Native country unknown.
R. glacialis (glacier). fl. seldom double; petals white or reddish, suffused with purple, somewhat orbicular, bluntly emarginate, as long as the very hairy calyx. June to August. l. usually smooth, or the upper ones sometimes villous; radical ones stalked palmately three-parted or ternate, with trifid lobes and rather blunt lobules. Stem one to three-flowered. h. 3in. to 6in. Mountains of Europe, 1775. (F. D. i. 19.) R. gramineus (grass-like).* fl. yellow; scales of petals tubular. April to June. l. lanceolate-linear, quite entire. Stems erect, quite smooth, with fibres at the neck, one to three-flowered. h. 6in. to 12in. South-western Europe, &c. (B. M. 164.) The variety flore-pleno has double flowers, and phaenicifolius has lanceolate leaves.
R. Heldreichianus (Heldreich's). fl. of a pale chrome-yellow, shining, numerous. Spring. l. tripartite, the lobes deeply incised. h. 1ft. Greece, 1882. An attractive plant, a sub-species of R. Sprunerianus. R. isopyroides (Isopyrum-like). fl. white; petal five or sometimes more, twice as long as the smooth calyx, oval; peduncles two or three, rising from the axils of the upper leaves, or terminal. May and June. l., radical ones pinnate, with stalked, twice trifid segments; cauline ones ternate. h. 3in. to 6in. Siberia, 1818.
R. Lingua (Lingua). Greater Spearwort. fl. yellow, handsome, 2in. in diameter, sub-panicled; sepals and petals five. July to September. l. 6in. to 10in. long, 3/4in. to 1in. broad, sessile, half-amplexicaul, lanceolate, entire or toothed. Stem 2ft. to 3ft. high, hollow. Root densely fibrous. Europe (Britain, in marshes and ditches). (Sy. En. B. 31.) R. Lyalli (Lyall's).* New Zealand Water Lily. fl. waxy-white, 4in. in diameter; sepals five, broad, pilose; petals broadly cuneate, with an obscure, oblong, basilar gland; peduncles very numerous, stout, erect. Spring and summer. l. peltate, on long, stout petioles, glabrous; limb orbicular, very concave, thick and coriaceous, sometimes 11/4ft. in diameter, simply crenate. Stem paniculately branched, many-flowered. h. 2ft. to 4ft. New Zealand, 1879. A very handsome, erect, cool greenhouse plant. (G. C. n. s., xv. 724, and xxiii. 371.) R. millefoliatus (thousand-leaved). fl. yellow; calyx pressed. May to July. l. decompound, multifid; lobes linear, smooth. Stem almost leafless, erect, villous, one-flowered. h. 1ft. south Europe, 1820. (B. M. 3009.) grandiflorus (S. B. F. G. ser. ii. 248) is a form with larger flowers. R. monspeliacus (Montpelier). fl. yellow; calyx reflexed. April and May. l. woodly; radical ones three-lobed; lobes cuneate, trifidly toothed; upper leaves three-parted, with entire, linear lobes. Stem erect, few-flowered. h. 1 1/2ft. Mediterranean region.
R. m. cuneatus (wedge-shaped). l., lobes wedge-shaped, trifidly toothed at the top. (S. B. F. G. ser. i. 94.) R. m. rotundifolius (round-leaved). l. roundish, trifid; lobes toothed, obtuse.
R. montanus (mountain). fl. yellow, a little larger than those of R. acris; calyx smoothish; stigmas beautifully revolute. May to July. l., radical ones smooth, three-parted, orbicular, with trifid, blunt segments; cauline ones sessile, three to five-parted into linear, quite entire lobes. Stem one-flowered, clothed with pressed pubescence at the top. h. 6in. Europe, &c., 1775. (B. M. 3022; J. F. A. 325, 326, under name of R. nivalis.) R. parnassifolius (Parnassia-leaved).* fl. snowy-white or sometimes purplish, about the size of those of R. amplexicaulis; peduncles hairy. June and July. l., radical ones stalked, rather heart-shaped, ovate-roundish; cauline ones sessile, ovate-lanceolate; footstalks much dilated at their base. Stem one to six flowered. h. 3in. to 6in. Alps and Pyrenees, 1769. See Fig. 356. (B. M. 386.) R. pedatus (pedate-leaved). fl. yellow; calyx appressed. May and June. l. smooth; radical ones stalked, three-parted or pedate; lobes linear, entire or bifid; cauline leaves sessile, parted; uppermost ones linear. Stem erect, one to five-flowered. h. 1ft. Eastern Europe, 1806. (B.M. 2229.) R. repens (creeping). fl. yellow, 1in. in diameter; sepals spreading, hairy; petals generally sub-erect; peduncles furrowed. May to August. l. petioled, triangular or ovate, trifoliolate or ternately pinnatisect; segments variable, the middle one usually largest. Stem decumbent below, 8in. to 2ft. long, with long runners. Rootstock stout, short. Europe (Britain), Asia, &c. This is often a very troublesome weed. (Sy. En. B. 34.) florepleno is a double-flowered garden variety.
R. rutaefolius (Rue-leaved). fl. yellow; petals eight to ten, oblong, with an orange claw. May to July. l. pinnate, with three-lobed, multifid lobes. Stem generally one, rarely two or three-flowered. h. 3in. to 6in. Higher Alps (among rocks, near the limits of perpetual snow), 1759. R. spicatus (spike-flowered). fl. bright yellow, large, one to three to a stem. Spring. l. cordate-reniform or cordate-elliptic in outline, somewhat three-lobed, irregularly toothed. h. 1ft Algeria, 1881. An ornamental plant, dying down early in summer, and appearing again in September and October. (B. M. 4585; F. d. S. 666; G. C. n. s., xv. 693.)