41 
Authors, Saccardo, Winter, Cohn, Burrill and others make no 
mention of Melissa as a host for Puccinia Menthe Pers. 
Byron D. HALsTeD. 
Ranunculus micranthus Nutt—Having had good opportu- 
nities of observing this plant in the field, and of comparing it in 
life with R. abortivus L., I am fully satisfied that it should be re- 
stored to the full specific rank given it by its describer in 1838. 
It is normally a lower plant than adortivus, sometimes a foot and 
a half high, but usually under a foot, and often flowering from a 
simple stem barely three inches high. It is also more slender 
than adortivus, the base of the stem and petioles especially being 
weaker and more lax. The leaves, too, are not at all fleshy as in 
that species, and of a deeper, duller green, giving the plant a 
noticeably different appearance, which is further heightened by its 
pubescence, this feature being especially evident in young plants, 
The leaves throughout are smaller than in adortivus, the root — 
leaves on longer petioles and never at all heart-shaped, but nar- 
rowed or rounded at the base, crenate-dentate to dentate-serrate, 
often entire below the middle. Stem leaves with much narrower 
divisions and sharper dentition than in adorfivus. In the latter I 
find the much larger root-leaves always deeply heart-shaped or 
kidney-form, and sub-crenate or crenate around the entire outer 
margin. The flowers of the two plants differ noticeably on com- 
parison. The petals of micranthus are much longer and narrower 
than in aéortivus—tlinear, and at least three times longer than 
broad, instead of ovate or sub-ovate, and nearly as broad as long. 
The sepals also are narrower and abruptly contracted into a stalk- 
like base, instead of rounded or gradually narrowed at their 
attachment. The distinctness of the plants is also borne out by 
the fruit. In szicranthus the fruit-heads are often larger than in 
abortivus, oblong instead of sub-globular, the achenes slightly 
smaller, not so closely sessile or so crowded, and in shape less 
prominently arched over towards the beak, which is rather more 
produced than in aéortivus. When fresh they have a dull surface 
showing finely cellular under the lens and contrasting strongly — 
with the bright green and shining achenes of abortivus. The — = 
receptacle of the fruit is in mcranthus much longer than in- 
abortivus—tlinear instead of State ant Beer es8) a — 
