408 THE CANADIAN NATURALIST. [DeC. 



with much divided leaves havin^ broad sheathing petioles. They 

 are characteristic of northern countries ; in the Monograph, 48 

 indigenous and six introduced species, making 54 in all, are 

 described, so that in proportion to territory there are fewer species 

 in the Northern States (61), and still fewer in the Southern 

 States (51). The most interesting point in distribution, however, 

 is the intimate relation of many of our British American plants 

 to those of Eastern Europe and Asia, respecting which many 

 details were given. 



The genera of our Ranunculacese are 16 in number: — 1. 

 Clematis, with fruit consisting of feathery-tailed achenes, and 

 valvate calyx, large and petal like. 2. Pulsatilla, with equally 

 large petal like sepals and feathery-tailed achenes, but herbaceous 

 plants with a large involucre, and imbricate aestivation. 3. Ane- 

 mone, diflfering from the preceding in the absence of feathery 

 tails. 4. Syndesmon, with ribbed fruit, large petaloid sepals 

 and involucrate foliage. 5. Thdictrum, with usually ribbed 

 carpels, dioecious or hermaphrodite flowers, and very compound 

 leaves, but no involucrate verticil. 6. Raymnculus, with medium 

 sized green sepals, large, usually yellow, petals, and single-seeded 

 achenes. 7. Myosurus, with a great development of the receptacle 

 into a body resembling a mouse's tail. 8. Caltha, with a fruit 

 composed of separate, several-seeded carpels or pods, and entire 

 leaves. 9. Trolliiis, with similar fructification but palmately 

 divided leaves. 10. Copt is, with cucuUate petals and ternate 

 leaves. 11. Aquilegia, with trumpet-like or spurred petals. 12. 

 Delphinium, with the upper sepal produced downwards into a 

 spur. 13. Aconitum, with irregular hooded calyx enclosing 

 small abnormal stalked petals. 14. Cimicifuga, with deciduous 

 sepals and follicular fruit, 15. Actoea, with deciduous sepals 

 and fruit of many-seeded berries. 16. Hydrastis, with a fruit of 

 many single or two-seeded berries. 



The various species belonging to these genera are fully described 

 in the paper ; their synonymy is investigated and their distribution 

 traced in detail throughout all the Provinces, and their range 

 in other countries is likewise given. The effects of the dry and 

 hot inland climate of Ontario are conspicuous in the absence from 

 that Province of many plants common to the North-West and 

 Maritime Provinces. 



Several plants that have been described as Canadian are shown 

 to have been so recorded through mistakes, aud many points still 



