Naravelia.] flora indica. 3 



Gray, in the Illustrations of the Genera of Plants of the United States. We can 

 find no difference between the anthers of Isopyrum or Trollius, both of which are 

 considered by De Candolle to belong to Panunculacem vera, and those of Actcea, 

 which he refers to llanunculacece spuria. We have therefore followed Arnott, and 

 Torrey and Gray, in restricting the tribe Paoniece to Paonia alone. Our other 



tnbes are like those of De Candolle. 



Ranunculacece constitute a widely-diffused and extensive family, most abundant 

 in the north temperate zone. The genera are well-marked, and contain mostly 

 many species. The latter are almost always widely diffused, and very variable. 



The plants of this family are in general more or less acrid ; but this property 

 exists to a very variable extent, and it is only in the genus Aconitum that it is so 

 concentrated that the plants become poisonous. Few of the Indian species are 

 officinal, though Ranunculus sceleratus is well known for its blistering powers, and 

 Coptis is imported into Bengal from the mountains for medicinal purposes. 



Tribus I. Clematidejs. 



Sepa I ione valvata. Petala nulla vel plana. Carpella (ache- 



nia) mc /ma, sernine pendulo. — Frutices sapmime scandentes, op- 



positifolii. 



1. NARAVELIA, DC. 



Sepala 4- ± etala 6-12, calyce longiora. Achenia stipiti crasso 

 cavo insidentia, stylo barbato plumoso caudata, demum spiraliter torta. 



bifoliolatis 



This 



tendrils 



and by the stipitate achenia, is quite tropical, growing in thickets in the hot plains of 

 Southern India, and never rising on the mountains into the cool zone. The only 



known 



1. N. Zeylanica (DC. Syst. i. 167; Prod. i. 10); foliolis late 

 ovatis breviter acuminatis basi cordatis vel rotundatis subtus dense 

 pubescentibus vel tomentosis (rarius glabratis), petalis lineari-spatb u- 

 latis —Wall. Cat. 4687 ! ; W. et A. Trod. i. 2. Atragene Zeylanica, 

 L. ; Boxh. Corom. ii. t. 188 ; Fl. Ind. ii. 670. 



Hab. Zeylania ! Caraatica ! Malabaria ! Concan ! Maisor ! JJekhan ! 

 Orissa ! Bengal ! et secus basin Himalaya} ab Assam ad Sikkim et 

 Nipal orientale ! Ava ! Malaya ! in dumetis calidis prsesertim mon- 

 tosis, sed e provinciis siccioribus extratropicalibus omnino exul.— (v. v.) 



The leaves arc generally pubescent on the under surface, but we have before us 

 specimens from Assam and Khasia in which they are quite glabrous, as in the speci- 

 mens from Prome referred to by "Wight and Arnott. 



2 N. laurifolia (Wall. Cat. 4685!); foliolis elliptico-lanceolatis 

 acuminatis glaberrimis basi rotundatis vel subacutis, petalis anguste 

 linearibus.— N. Finlaysoniana, Wall. Cat. 4686 ! 



Hab. In Peninsula Malayana, prope Mergui, Griffith ! et Penang, 



Finlagson ! — (v. 8.) 



Distrib. Ins. Philippin.! 



N. Finlaysoniana is a diseased state, with the achenia long, subulate, and beard- 



