The form figured here is the species known as Ranunculus peltatus. The floating leaves are kidney-shaped flower buttercup, divided into three lobes and three leaflets; the submerged leaves finely divided into stiff, hair-like segments with scarcely any footstalk. The flowers are white, with straight, upright stalks. The buttercup flower petals, five ar mare, are oval, with a yellow patch at the base; stamens few. It occurs in still waters, and ponds are often completely covered with the glossy, floating flower buttercup leaves.
There are large bracts below the buttercup flower flowers. The black hairy seed-pod is but slightly longer than the calyx, the valves elastic, which causes them, when ripe, to curl up with a crackling noise, and scatter buttercup flower widely the polished seeds. As a seedling, the Furze has sof t hairy leaves that are trefoils; but as the plant grows older the new leaf material is produced as buttercup flower spines. From June to October commons, pastures and downs are bright with the flowers of Bird'sfoot Trefoil. lt is known in some districts as Lady's Slipper. From a flower buttercup short, woody, perennial rootstock, several trailing branches originate, which are themselves much branched.
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