30 Rhodora [FEBRUARY 
THE NORTHERN VARIETY OF RANUNCULUS HISPIDUS. 
M. L. FERNALD. 
Micnavx, describing his Ranunculus hispidus from “sylvis Caro- 
linae inferioribus," began his description “ R. erectus, hirsutissimus."! 
This phrase well characterizes the plant at the southern border of 
its range, but northward the hirsute plant becomes rare and gradually 
gives way to a commoner variation with the pubescence appressed 
or even almost or quite wanting. Thus, of the 38 collections before 
the writer from New England and New York State 35 have appressed 
pubescence and only 3 (all from southern Connecticut) have the 
spreading pubescence of the more southern typical H. hispidus. In 
fact, Dr. K. C. Davis, in his treatment of the genus,’ apparently 
wrote from his familiarity with the northern variation, for ignoring 
the Michaux phrase, “R. erectus, hirsutissimus," Davis described 
R. hispidus as “ Appressed-pubescent." From New England and 
New York the plant with appressed pubescence or subglabrous 
petioles and stems extends westward to Iowa and south to the moun- 
tains of North Carolina, West Virginia, Missouri and Kansas; while 
typical R. hispidus extends well into Georgia and Arkansas. The 
more northern extreme is worthy varietal separation as 
RANUNCULUS HISPIDUS Michx., var. falsus, n. var., petiolis cauli- 
busque sericeo-strigosis vel subglabris.—Vermont and Massachusetts 
to Ontario and Iowa, south to Virginia, North Carolina, Missouri 
and Kansas. The following specimens are characteristic. VERMONT: 
rich hillside, Pownal, July 23, 1898, May 30, 1900, Eggleston, nos. 
108, 1927. MassaAcHUsETTS: Worcester, May 18, 1912, Woodward; 
moist field, Sturbridge, May 20, 1916, Knowlton; damp rocky thicket, 
Charlton, May 20, 1916, Bean & Schweinfurth; Amherst, Blanchard et 
al.; dry woods, Springfield, May 5, 1915, Andrews; rich open woods, 
Stockbridge, May 30, 1902, Hoffmann; in humus overlying limestone, 
Sheffield, May 16, 1907, Cushman, no. 517; dry wooded calcareous 
bank, Sheffield, May 30, 1919, Bean & Fernald (TYPE in Gray Herb.). 
CONNECTICUT: open woods, Franklin, June 6, 1907, Woodward; 
Middlebury, May 5, 1896, Shepardson; cold rocky woods, Southing- 
ton, May 22, 1898, Bissell; dry hillside, Waterbury, May 30, 1911, 
Blewitt, no. 684; dry open woods, Salisbury, June 1, 1902, Fernald. 
New York: Westbury, Tubby; Harrison, April 25, 1905, Coe; open 
gravelly woods, Lick Brook, Ithaca, May 6, 1915, Eames, no. 4064; 
1 Michx. Fl. Bor.-Am. i. 321 (1803). 
2 K. C. Davis, Minn. Bot. Stud. ii. 472 (1900). 
