Ranunculus.] flora indica. 35 



Pistrib. Europa oranis! Asia temperata ! Groenlandia. 



Herba erecta, ramosa, £-l-pedalis, glabra vel puberula, multiflora. Folia radicalia 

 plerumque indivisa inciso^crenata, rarius tripartita, interdum abortiva. 



We have introduced this species into our list on the authority of some very im- 

 perfect specimens collected by Mr. Griffith in Afghanistan. We have done so 

 mainly for the purpose of calling the attention of travellers in the Himalaya to this 

 species, in order that they may institute a search for it in the woods of the temperate 

 region of these mountains in early spring. It is our impression, from a survey of 

 numerous specimens of this and closely allied species, that R. pedatifidus or affints, 

 and all its forms, as well as R. abortivus, of America, are only varieties of R. aurico- 

 mus, and that R. pohjrhizns, Stev., is the alpine state of the same plant. R. montanus, 

 L., seems a very imperfectly- defined plant, consisting of the dwarf states of R. acru and 

 bulbosus, and occasionally also of R. auricomus. The main distinctions between R. 

 auricomtts and R. hirtellus are the undivided radical leaves, the large size of the 

 achenia of the former, and their forming a globose capitulum ; and an examination of 

 the degree of variation of the Indian species in these points would probably throw 

 much light on a very difficult question. 



14. R. nivalis (L. Sp. 778) ; caulibus 1-floris, foliis radicalibus re-, 

 niformibus 5-7-partitis, caulinis sessilibus 3-5-partitis, sepalis ellipticis 

 dorso dense fusco-viliosis.— DC. Syst. i. 273, Prod. i. 35; R. Br. in 



Ledeb 



N. 



Hab. In Himalaya alpina : Sikkim, alt. 15,000 ped.! (Tankra Pass). 



(v. v.) 



Distrib. Europa, Asia, et America arctica ! in America in montibus 



scopulosis ad lat. 52° descendit. 



Radix crassa, perpendicularis. Planta pusilla, 1-2-pollicaris. Folia radicalia 

 pedatim 5-7 -partita, semipollicaria, segmentis obovatis vel oblongis, lateralibus tri- 

 lobis. Caulis superne villosus, plurifoliatus. Folia caulina basi late membranaceo- 

 dilatata, conformia, supremum sessile 3-5-partitum. Sepal a elliptica. Petala obovata, 

 sepalis vix longiora. Achenia non suppetunt. 



This little plant, which is unfortunately not in a sufficiently advanced state for ac- 

 curate determination, may be referred provisionally to R. nivalis, L., to which R. 

 Altaicus of Laxmann, and R. Esclischoltzii of Schlechtendal, should apparently be 

 united. The above description refers to the Indian plant only. 



15. R. sceleratus (L. Sp. 776); glaber, foliis radicalibus renifor- 

 mibus tripartitis, sepalis reflexis, acheniis in capitulum oblongum con- 

 gests obovatis non compressis. — DC. Prod. i. 34; Bon, Prod. 195; 

 Royle! 111. 53 ; Ledeb. PI. Ross. \. 45 ; Torrey et Gray, PL N. Am. i. 

 19. E. Indicus ! Roxb. PL Ind. ii. 671 ; Wall. Cat. 4699 ! R. carnosus, 

 Wall, in Kb. 1824. Hecatonia palustris, Lour. PL Cock. Chin. 371. 



Hab. In Indiae borealis planitie ubique in arenosis prope aquam, 

 secus Indum, Gangem, et Brahmaputra flumina, et in Himalaya occiden- 

 tal! subtropica, sed vix supra 5000 ped. alt., a Kashmir! ad Kumaon!; 

 et in Malwa! ad ripas fluminis Nerbada, Rottler in lib. Royle! (in Pe- 

 ninsula deest.)— (Fl. Febr. Mart.) (v. v.) 



Distrib. Europa tota, Asia temperata, China (Loureiro), Africa bo- 

 realis, America temp, usque ad lat. 67 



Herba annua, erecta, 1-3-pedalis, glabra vel apice summo interdum subpuberula, 



