NEILGHERRY PLANTS. 
I. RANUNCULACE. 
This is an extensive and beautiful family of plants, many of which, such as the 
Clematis, Ranunculus, Anemone and Lar kspur, rank among the most admired favourites of 
the flower garden and arbour. Its species abound in Extra-tropical countries, but are of such 
rare occurrence within the Tropics that, so far as I yet know, there are not above 12 or 14 
found, truly indigenous, in the whole of the Indian peninsula, the flora of which amounts to 
probably not fewer than 5000 species of flowering plants, of all descriptions, or it stands in 
the ratio of about 1 to every 400 species found within the same limits. The paucity of 
Ranunculacious plants, within the Tropics, may be further shown by comparing them with 
the Flora of the whole world: thus, assuming that there are 600 species of Ranunculacee, 
and that there are 80,000 species of flowering Plants, they then stand in proportion of one 
to every 1335 species. 
According to published lists, the Indian peninsula, within an elevation of 500 feet 
above the sea, can only claim one species ( Naravelia Zeylanica) and that of rare occurrence 
within these limits. This plant, which abounds at the foot of the Hills, is an extensively 
climbing shrub so nearly allied to Clematis as almost to require a Botanist to distinguish them. 
Such being the case, it naturally follows that the next in succession should be a Clematis, and 
such in fact is the case, Clematis Gouriana (Nos. 1 and 2) being frequent on the table-land of 
Mysore and also on the eastern slopes of the Neilgherries, at an elevation of between twoand 
