66 ON CANADIAN AND MADEIRA** 



Faunse et Fl. Mad.' ed. 2, 1851, App. pp. v. vi.) in Dr. Lemann's 

 earlier view, which had been indeed my own, I have lately, by the kind 

 favour of Mr. Brown and Sir W. J. Hooker, carefully re-examined the 

 whole of the ample materials for the elucidation of the question con- 

 tained in the Banksian and Hookerian Herbaria, enriched as they are 

 now by fresh and more abundant specimens of the Cretan and Canarian 

 plants, from De Heldreich and E. Bourgeau, than Dr. Lemann had the 

 advantage of comparing. And having arrived at the conclusion that 

 both R. cortusmfolius and R. grandifolius are alike distinct from each 

 other and from R. Creticus, L., I shall proceed to give their diagnoses, 

 with a brief synonymy and history of each species, taking them in the 

 order of their first establishment. 



R. Creticus, X. 



R. molliter tomentoso-villosus, pilis lanuginoso-sericeis simplicibus, 

 caulinis patentibus superne erecto-patentibus ; fol. mollibus imma- 

 culatis, radicalibus reniformibus incisis late parciusque vel remote 

 grossicrenatis, caulinis profundius pinnatipartitis sessilibus, laciniis 

 integris ; fl. sparsis remotis distinctis ; sep. patentibus ; spicis majus- 

 culis ovali- vel ovato-globosis crassis abbreviatis obtusis, ach. magnis 

 nunc glabris nunc hispidiusculis. 

 Hab. In Ins. Creta. 



From specimens in the Banksian and Hookerian Herbaria, from 

 Gouan, Sieber, and De Heldreich. A specimen from "Rhodes, Aucher- 

 Eloy, Herb. d'Orient, No. 32," in the Hookerian Herbarium, is much 

 less hairy than usual; but it is altogether a poor, weak, drawn-up 

 plant, grown evidently in a shady spot, or amongst other herbage. 



Root fasciculate or tufted, like that of the common garden Ranun- 

 culus (R. Asiaticus, L.), the tuberous divisions slender, not fleshy, 

 thick or palmate. Stem 6-12 inches long, somewhat weak and de- 

 clining, sparingly branched, few-flowered. Lower leaves light green, 

 immaculate, broader than long, 2-4 inches broad, with a wide, open 

 sinus at their base, the petioles densely villose, like the stem, with soft, 

 cottony, spreading hairs. Flowers not at all corymbose, of moderate 

 size, scarcely larger than in R. acris, L., or bulbosus, L. Spike resem- 



bling neither that of the Canarian nor Madeiran plant, i, e. much 

 shorter and thicker than in the former, and larger than in the latter, 

 with the acbaenia lancer than in either. 



