﻿378 ON THE BOTANY OF JAPAN. 



&c., — lying as these islands do nearest to the Loo Choo Islands, — have been deemed 

 to belong to the Loo Choo, rather than to the proper Japan Flora. Consequently the 

 present Japan collection is of a strictly temperate character, excepting a small number 

 of plants gathered (between December 29 th and January 3d) on the shore of Kago- 

 sima Bay, at the southern end of Kiu-siu, and a few picked up on Tanega Island (lat. 

 30° 32' 44") January 9th. The principal collections were made at Simoda (lat. 34° 

 40') in May; and at Hakodadi (lat. 41° 47' 11") in June, 1855; where also were 

 pre^dously gathered the plants of the small collection communicated to me by Drs. 

 Williams and Morrow, of which I published a short account in the second volume of 

 the Narrative of the Japan Expedition commanded by the late Commodore Perry, 

 Moreover, a scanty but invaluable collection of plants was gathered by Mr. J. Small, 

 who was detailed as the Botanist's assistant, during the cruise of the small steamer to 

 which he was attached, through the Straits of Sangar, touching upon both shores; 

 thence along the west coast of Jesso, touching at Slope Point and Iwanai (between lat. 

 42° and 43°), to Capes Romanzoff and Soya (lat. 45° 30'), the northern extremity of 

 Jesso, — a district entirely new to the botanist, and of unsurpassed interest. 



This remark may indeed be extended, most emphatically, to all the northern Japan- 

 ese islands. The reason why their vegetation is so remarkably interesting to the 

 American botanist will appear in the sequel. 



Among the Ranunculacece we have Clematis patens, Morr. & Decaisne (Lindley's 

 C. carulea), and Thunberg's C. Japonica, which proves to belong to the section Chei- 

 ropsis. It is doubtless Thunberg's plant, and probably Zuccarini's, although he does 

 not mention the bractlets on the peduncle (above the middle), and the filaments are but 

 sparsely hirsute above, and wholly glabrous below. The sepals appear to be thicker 

 than in other species of the section. The relatives of this and of my C. Williamsii 

 (which has not been a second time collected) are Himalayan species. None of 

 those species were collected Avhich in Japan represent our Eastern American C. 

 Virginiana. Thalictrum Thunhergii has yellow flowers ; otherwise it is very near 

 T. Kemense, which Dr. Hooker reduces to T. majtis, and then both to T. minus. 



Besides Ranunculus ternatus, Thunb., which is not very different from some forms 

 of E.. repens, Mr. Wright gathered R. repens itself, the larger forms of the American 

 type, JR. sceleratus, and JR. propinquus var. hirsutus, a Siberian plant nearly allied to 

 R. acris. 



Caltha palustris, in various forms, abounds at Hakodadi, as throughout the northern 

 temperate zone ; but the Trollins so like our American species, if not identical with it. 



