CANADIAN EANUNCULACEiË, 69 



pUre white with a blue or green metallic tinge on the lower surface. Anthers long, 

 narrow, linear, pollen grains small globular, i^aler. One of the first llowers to bloom in 

 spring-time in the cold bogs at the edge of dissolving snow at high elevations on the 

 Kooky Mountains. Boiled and used as gTeeus by the miners in Coloi'ado. 



Caltha leptosepala. DC. Syst. Nat., I., p. 310. Trod., I., p. 45. Hook., Fl. Bor.-Am., I. 

 p. 22, tab. 10, figs. 1-6. Torr. & Gr., Fl. N. Am., I., p. 21 Gray, PI. Fendler., p. 4. 

 Brewer & Wats., B. Cal., p. 9. 



C. biflora. Watson, Bibl. Index, I., p. 1. Macouu, Cat. DC. Syst. Nat., I., p. 310? 

 Hook., Fl. Bor.-Am., p. 22? Torrey and Gray, Flora N. Am., I., p. 211 



C. sagittata. Torrey, in Ann. Lye. N.Y., H., p. 164 (exel. syuou.), according to Torrey 

 and Gray. 



The sepals are not brightly shining on the inner surface, as in C. palustrk and the 

 buttercups (in which the cells containing the colouring matter are extremely small, compact 

 and flat, forming a smooth surface), but have the texture of the sepals of Anemone nemorosa. 

 This is a gregarious plant, often covering large spaces in boggy groirnd and on wet 

 shoulders of the mountains. At a distance, the yellow centre and long, narrow sepals give 

 it the appearance of a daisy or ox-eye. Its whole general appearance is totally unlike 

 that of Caltha palmtris. 



Prince William Sound, north-west coast of North America. — Menzies (Herb. Banks, DC.) 

 Alpine swamps in the Rocky Mountains, between lat. 52^ and 5.5°. — Dmmmoml. Cariboo 

 Mountains, in Coast Range, British Columbia. — Dr. G. M. Dawson. Sitka. — Rothrock. 

 Alaska. 



In California, swamps near head of King's River, at 8,000 feet. — Brewer. Near Lassen's 

 Peak.— Ze»2JHore. Sunny margin of the creek, six miles above Santa Fé, in the mountains 

 New Mexico. — Fendler. Abundantly in flower in the cold swamps among the Elk Moun- 

 tains of Colorado, end of May, 1883 ; in flower at the highest point of the Marshall Pass, 

 May 22nd. — Lawson. 



5. — Caltha leptosepala? var. bifloka. 



Stem 14eaved, 2-flowered, radical leaves petiolate, reniform, crenate, with a wide 

 sinus, sepals oblong. 



Caltha biflora. DeCandolle, Syst. Nat., I., p. 310 



On the west coast of North America, near Banks Island. — Blenzies, (sp. in Herb. 

 Banks.) 



DeCandolle described as above, from the Herbarium of Sir Joseph Banks, a plant 

 collected on the west coast of North America, Vear Banks Island, by Menzies, as Caltha 

 biflora, and Hooker, in Fl. Bor.-Am., simply repeated DeCandolle's brief character, adding 

 the remark : " I have seen no specimens which exactly accord with this, but it seems to 

 me too nearly allied to C. leptosepala." Hooker and Gray followed suit. Watson, in the 

 Bibliographical Index to American Botany, however, relegates C. biflora to C. palusiris, 

 under Regel's name A"ar. minima. Prof Macoun has followed Watson, and referred here 

 specimens, with narrow sepals, from Tsi Tsutl Mountains, B.C., collected by Dr. G. M. 

 Dawson, which may or may not be the same as Menzies's plant. Brewer and Watson 

 observe (Bot. California, 2 ed.) that "leptosepala appears to pass into biflora." If that be the 



