1916] Chien, — Asiatic Allies of Ranunculus pensylvanicus 189 



TWO ASIATIC ALLIES OF RANUNCULUS PENSYL- 

 VANICUS. 



S. S. Chien. 



Specimens of two species in the Gray Herbarium, collected in 

 China and Hongkong, are under the name of Ranunculus pensylvani- 

 cus L. One of these plants from Hongkong and Shanghai is erect 

 and more or less like the American species, except in its fruit charac- 

 ter. The other plant, one sheet of which is from Fokien and another 

 from Hupeh, has its fruit similar to the American plant, although 

 with strongly hooked style, but has a repent habit. Both of these 

 species have been considered identical with the American plant. 

 Since they differ, however, from the American species in such im- 

 portant characters, it seems desirable to describe them under new 

 names. 



Ranunculus brachyrhynchus, n. sp., caule erecto elato pilis late 

 patentibus hirsuto; foliis inferioribus longe petiolatis, superioribus 

 subsessilibus; foliolis petiolulatis inaequaliter 3-lobatis argute ser- 

 ratis; floribus parvis; sepalis reflexis subtus hirsutis supra glabris; 

 achaeniis in capite globoso vel paullo lateque ovoideo symmetries 

 tarn in margine dorsali quam ventrali aequaliter curvatis; stylo 

 brevi recto basi lato ad apicem achaenii centroso, faciebus achaeni- 

 orum planis prominenter marginatis; receptaculo piloso. 



Stem erect, tall, hirsute with widely spreading hairs; lower leaves 

 Iong-petioled; upper subsessile, ternatifid; leaflets stalked, unequally 

 3-lobed, sharply serrate, acute: flowers small: sepals reflexed, hirsute 

 on the lower side, glabrous on the upper; achenes in a globose or 

 slightly broad-ovoid head, symmetrically curved on both the dorsal 

 and ventral margins; style short, broad-based, straight, centrally 

 placed; faces of the achene prominently margined; receptacle 

 pilose. — Hongkong: April 17, 1893, Hongkong Herbarium, no. 

 10,200 (type in Gray Herb.). China: Shanghai, comm. Wykeham 

 Perry, 1883. 



This plant is distinguished from R. pensyhanicus L. by the sym- 

 metrical outline of the achene, the dorsal and ventral margins being 

 about equal, by the prominent intramarginal ridge and the centrally 

 placed beak. The American plant has its fruit with round dorsal 

 edge and almost straight ventral edge, and it is obscurely margined. 

 The head of achenes of the Chinese plant is essentially globose, while 

 that of the American plant is elongated. 



