Mr. Charles C. Babington on Ranunculus aquatilis. 227 



and tipped by the short straight blunt persistent style ; in R. 

 circinatus the same part is semi-obovate, and the style is twice 

 or three times the length of that of R. aquatilis, and is acute 

 and placed upon the extreme point of the nearly straight side 

 of the carpel, towards which it curves over; in R.fluit am it is 

 more regularly ovate than in either of the others, and bears 

 the short straight persistent blunt style below the top upon 

 the straight er side of the carpel. 



R. hederaceus is distinguished from these by the total want 

 of capillary divided leaves, by having a truly creeping stem 

 giving out roots from every joint, and its few (5 — 10) sta- 

 mens ; its flowers are usually very small, and the petals nar- 

 row and scarcely as long as the calyx ; but I possess specimens 

 which were floating upon deep water and whose roots did not 

 reach the ground, in which the petals are broad and much 

 longer than the calyx, yet agreeing in all other respects with 

 this species. 



I now proceed to the description of the species. 



1. R. aquatilis, Linn. Caule natante, foliis submersis capillaceo- 



multifidis laciniis divergentibus undique patentibus, natantibus 



reniformibus tripartitis partitionibus lobatis, carpellis trans- 



versim rugosis subhispiuis inaequaliter ovatis apicula terminali 



obtusa instructis. 



R. aquatilis, Wallr. Sched. 282. Gaud. Fl. Helv. iii. 522. Mer- 



t ens et Koch, Deut. Fl. iv. 148. Koch, Syn. 11. Bluff, et Fing. 



(ed.2.) t. i. p. 2. 285. Reich. Fl. excurs. 719. Drejer. Fl.Hafn. 



191. 



a. heterophyllus, Wallr. Foliis emersis reniformibus. 

 R. aquatilis, Rail Syn. (ed. 3.) 249. Eng. Bot. 101. 

 R. aquatilis, a, Linn. Sj). PI. 781. Sm. Fl. Br. ii. 596. Eng. 

 Fl. iii. 54. Hooker, Br. Fl. (ed. 4.) 218. DC. Syst. i. 234. Prod. 



i. 26. 



Pv. heterophyllus, Sibth. Fl. Oxon. 175. 



(3. pantothrix. Foliis omnibus capillaceo-multifidis. 



R. aquatilis omnino tenuifolius. Ray, 249. 



R. aquatilis, y, Lison. 7S2. 



R. aquatilis, Sibth. 175. 



R. aquatilis, /3. Sm. Fl. Br. ii. 596. Engl. Fl. iii. 54. 



R. aquatilis, e et £, Koch, Syn. 11. 



a. capillaceus, Wallr. Caule natante. 



