Mr. Charles C. Babington on Ranunculus aquatilis. 229 



near to their diaphanous white margins. Stamens numerous. 

 Carpels in dense roundish heads, unequally ovate, tipped with 

 the short obtuse persistent straight style, transversely wrinkled, 

 usually, together with their torus minutely bristly. 



2. R. circinatus, Sibth. Caule natante, foliis omnibus sessilibus 

 capillaceo-multifidis laciniis in planum orbiculare dispositis te- 

 retiusculis abbreviatis 2 — 3-furcellatis, carpellis trans versim ru- 

 gosis glabriusculis gibboso-obovatis apicula laterali elongata ar- 

 cuata acuta instructis. 



R. aquaticus albus, circinatis tenuissime divisis foliis ex alis longis 

 pediculis innixis. Ray, 249. 



R. aquatilis, (3. Linn. 781. 



R. circinatus, Sibth. 175. Reich. 719. Drejer, 192. 



R. aquatilis, y. Sm. Fl, Br, ii. 596. Eng. FL iii. 54. (Syn. DC. 

 excl.) Hook. 218. 



R. aquatilis, h, stagnalis, DC. Prod. i. 27. 



R. stagnatilis, Wallr. 285. (Syn. DC. excl.) 



R. pantothrix, /3. Gaud. iii. 524. 



R. divaricatus, Koch, 12. Bluff, et Fing. 285. 



In still water and also in brooks and rivers, probably frequent. 

 1 have gathered it in the canal near Bath ; in Henlield level, Sussex ; 

 in the river Soar near Leicester ; in Reche load and near Cherry 

 Hinton, Cambridgeshire. 



Stems long, ascending, seldom spreading much near the 

 surface of the water, throwing out a few long fibrous roots 

 from the lower joints, after branching at all the joints, ex- 

 cept a few of the upper ones. Leaves small, sessile, always 

 immersed, having a brassy tinge, terminating below in a short 

 slightly sheathing stipule-like base ; the limb is divided into 

 numerous, rigid, two, three, or four times forked, short, terete, 

 capillary segments, all lying exactly in one plane, which has a 

 very regular orbicular outline. Flowers large, similar to the 

 last, but the sepals are much more deciduous, blunter, and 

 have much narrower diaphanous margins. Carpels in dense 

 roundish heads, semiobovate, laterally tipped by the long acute 

 persistent incurved style, transversely wrinkled, usually gla- 

 brous, sometimes slightly bristly. 



3. R.fluitans, Lam. Caule fluitante, foliis longe petiolatis repe- 

 tito di- veltrichotomis, laciniis longissimis linearibus parallelis, 

 f . superioribus subsessiHbus, carpellis trans versim rugosis gla- 

 bris obovatis apicula laterali brevi obtusa recta instructis. 



