92 Transactions. 



(6.) The leaves of R. paucifolius, instead of being only 2-3 (Kirk), are 



as many as 8. One of my plants in cultivation has 9 now. 



Six is quite usual. The name paucifolius is a misnomer. 

 (7.) The scape of R. paucifolius is not always solitary. 

 (8.) The number of petals of R. paucifolius is 5-8. , . 



(9.) The flower of R. paucifolius is larger than described hitherto, being 



from 1^ in. to 2 in. 

 (10.) The flowering-date of R. paucifolius is late October and November, 



not December. 

 (11.) The achene of R. paucifolius is exactly like that of R. chordorhizos ; 



the style is curved, not straight. 



Conclusion from these Facts. 



I have been tempted to think that R. paucifolius hardly deserves specific 

 status, and that it should be reduced to the rank of a variety of R. chordo- 

 rhizos ; but in the light of the above observations I am compelled to 

 decide that it should be uj^held as a distinct species. While the differences 

 in the cutting and the colour of the leaf, the size of the plant and of the 

 flower, the edging of the petals, the pitting of the leaf, might be considered 

 trivial, yet the character of the sepals of R. chordorhizos, constituting a 

 distinct link with R. Haastii, would seem to be important enough, taken 

 in conjunction with the other differences, to warrant the retention of the 

 species. UiJtil flowering specimens of R. crithmifolius have been studied 

 it is not possible to tell how the group may ultimately be treated. 



Habitat and Distribution. 



General. 



The only known locality for Ranunculus paucifolius is a rock-bound 

 hollow behind the farm buildings at Castle Hill, in the Trelissick Basin, 

 about a mile and a half from the homestead of the late J. D. Enys, upon 

 whose property the farm was situated. 



A full account of the general geological features of the district is given 

 by Speight (1917), with a map showing the Castle Hill itself (p. 323), and 

 plates, of which plate xxi, fig. 1, gives a view of the small hollow from 

 above. 



The locality of the species is a small synclinal basin forming a kind of 

 amphitheatre. Its main direction is north-east ^and south-west, the north- 

 east end being the higher. It is bounded on the south and west by 

 the steep grassy slopes of Castle Hill, with frequent outcrops of lime- 

 stone (seen in Plate IV), and on the north and east by piles of limestone 

 rocks from 80 ft. to 100 ft. high, which are weathered into the usual 

 fantastic shapes. It is entered from the eastern side by a gap in 

 the limestone barrier about 100 yards broad ; a small but constant 

 stream rises on the south-west side of the basin, and flows through 

 this gap on to the flat cultivated plains of the Castle Hill farm, which 

 are overlooked by the steep limestone rocks. Except at this point the 

 basin is surrounded on all sides by limestone rocks or steep slopes of grass 

 upon a limestone soil. The weathering of the rocks by frost and wind 

 produces a great amount of debris, which is blown far and wide by the 

 strong winds of the Southern Alps, and this debris collects in the basin 

 owing to its enclosed character. Within the basin a small dune-system is 

 produced by the action of the wind, so that its floor is diversified by small 



