398 Mr. C. C. Babington on the Batrachian Ranunculi. 



the floating leaves), the ovate nectary, and depressed buds. 

 From R, heterophyllus it may be known by its submersed leaves 

 not collapsing, its floating leaves (when tripartite) with sessile 

 segments, and not straight -sided, its ovate nectary, and depressed 

 buds ; from R, confusics by its floating leaves being usually 

 convex, not spotted ; peduncles not long, slender, and narrowing 

 upwards; carpels not compressed and narrowed upwards j and 

 by its dark colour ; from R. Baudotii by the markedly rounded 

 base of the outer margin of its convex leaves, its peduncles not 

 narrowed towards their top, many-nerved petals, long stamens, 

 and much fewer carpels. 



A Sicilian specimen from Prof. Gasparrini, which he named 

 R. aquatilisj appears to be R.floribundus. 



Flowering from May to September. 



I possess this plant from Hedon near Hull, Denver Common 

 in Norfolk, and a pit by the road-side near Legge's Farm near 

 Hatfield in Hertfordshire. 



It is the most beautiful of our species ; its large white flowers 

 being so numerous as to cover the places that it inhabits with a 

 sheet of bloom. 



7. R. peltatus (Fries) ; submersed leaves loosely trifurcate, seg- 

 ments rather rigid divaricate not collapsing, floating leaves 

 long-stalked subpeltate nearly half-3-5-fid with obovate 3-4- 

 crenate segments, joec?Mwc/e5 narrowing gYSLdnsilly from floating 

 leaves and exceeding them, flowers large, petals round be- 

 coming obovate-cuneate 9-nerved contiguous persistent, sta- 

 mens many exceeding the pistils, stigma club-shaped, recep- 

 tacle ovate, carpels i-obovate very blunt. 



R. peltatus, Fries, Summa, 141, andHei-b. Norm. xii. 48 (specimen). 

 R. aquatilis a. peltatus, Sturm, Beutschl. Fl. fasc. 67. t. 7. 



Stem floating, rooting from the lower joinings, bluntly angular, 

 hollow, often rising out of the water. Submersed leaves light 

 green, 2 or 3 times trifurcate, afterwards bifurcate ; segments 

 long, slender, filiform; primary subdivisions about equal. 

 Petioles short, semiterete. Floating leaves convex ; outer edge 

 of the leaf much rounded at the base. Outline of the floating or 

 emerged leaves forming about f rds of a circle, but the rounded 

 outer bases often overlap. Petioles plane-convex. Stipules 

 adnate nearly throughout, rounded at the end. Peduncles long, 

 rising high out of the water, from the floating leaves ; very 

 rarely a peduncle springs with a submersed leaf. Buds globular. 

 Flowers very large, sweet-scented. Sepals ovate, diaphanous 

 except at the centre, where they are shghtly green. Petals 

 quite contiguous, ultimately slightly separated by the lengthen- 

 ing of their lower part, white, clawed and yellow below, more 



