10 RANUNCULACEZ. (Ranunculus. 
A magnificent plant, by far the finest of the genus; so common in many 
portions of the Southern Alps that in summer the mountain-slopes are whitened 
from the abundance of the flowers. It has received many local names, as the 
“mountain lily,” ‘“shepherd’s lily,’’ ‘‘ Mount Cook lily,’’ &e. Its nearest ally 
outside New Zealand is R. Bawrii, MacOwan, from the Transvaal, which has 
peltate leaves 4-5 in. diam. and small yellow flowers. R. Traversti does not 
seem to have been observed since its first discovery more than forty years ago- 
I have seen no specimens, but I am indebted to the Director of the Kew 
Herbarium for a drawing of the type specimen, which leaves no doubt in my 
mind that it is merely a local form of R. Lyallii. 
2. R. Buchanani, Hook. 7. Handb. N.Z. Fl. 5.—Stout, erect, 
more or less covered with long silky hairs, rarely almost glabrous. 
Rootstock thick, with numerous long fleshy rootlets. Radical 
leaves on long petioles 2-6 in. long, with short and broad sheathing 
bases; blade reniform in outline, 2-6in. diam., ternatisect, main 
divisions stalked, more or less deeply divided into linear or cuneate 
lobes, which are usually again 3-d-fid or -toothed, rarely entire. 
Cauline leaves similar, but usually more finely cut, sessile or nearly 
so. Flowers solitary or 2-3, large, white, 14-24in. diam. Sepals 5, 
oblong, villous. Petals very numerous, linear-oblong, rounded at 
the apex, narrowed to the base; gland solitary, basilar. -Achenes 
turgid, pilose, forming a globose head 4in. diam.—Kurk, Students’ 
Fil. 8. 
SourH Isnanp: Otago—Lake district, Buchanan! Mounts Bonpland, Tyn- 
dall, and Aspiring, Petrie! Bald Peak, B. C. Aston! Mount Earnslaw, 
H. J. Matthews ! Altitudinal range 4000-6000 ft. December—January. 
A singular and beautiful plant, quite unlike any other, confined, so far as is 
known, to the high mountains to the west of the Otago lake district. The 
leaves are said to be sometimes nearly entire, and the flowers yellow, but I have 
not seen specimens showing these peculiarities. 
3. R. insignis, Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 8, t. 2.—A stout, erect, 
paniculately branched plant 1-3it. in height, usually villous in all 
its parts, brownish or rufous when dry. Radical leaves numer- 
ous, large, on stout petioles with broad sheathing bases, thick and 
coriaceous, rounded-cordate or reniform, crenate and often shortly 
lobed, 4-9 in. diam.; cauline smaller, upper ones cut and lobed. 
Peduncles often very numerous, stout; bracts linear - oblong. 
Flowers golden-yellow, 1-2in. diam. Sepals 5, woolly at the back. 
Petals 5-6, rarely more, obcordate, with 1 or 2 glands at the base. 
Stamens many, short. Receptacle oblong, pubescent. Achenes 
forming a rounded head 4in. diam., tumid, villous; style long, 
slender.—Handb. N.Z. Fl. 4; Kirk, Students’ Fi.7. BR. ruahinicus, 
Col. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xviii. (1886) 256. R. sychnopetala, 
Col. l.c. xxv. (1893) 324, and xxvi. (1894) 313 (a monstrous 
state with very numerous narrow petals). R. rufus, Col. l.c. 
xxviii. (1896) 591. 
Var. b, lobulatus, Kirk, Students’ Fl. 8.—Leaves membranous, suborbicu- 
lar, deeply lobed or sinuate, with a few weak hairs, rarely sub-peltate. 
