I860.] RANUNCULUS HETEBOPHYLLUS. 139 



believe that local botanists are in the habit of bestowing the name 

 of R. heterophyllus upon dissimilar plants, we hope that the space 

 will not be grudged by our readers, which we would devote to 

 some of Boreau^s descriptions of the species which produce float- 

 ing leaves ; and which we hope may, some of them, be recognized 

 in England during the ensuing mouth of May. 



R. tripartitus and R. Baudotii are probably sufficiently well 

 known, and, being more easily recognized than the others, we need 

 not repeat their character here beyond referring to the Manual, 

 edit. 4, pp. 6 and 7. 



R. ololeucos, Lloyd, will be known- at a glance by its petals 

 being altogether white, with no yellow spot at the base. 



For the others we will quote M. Boreau, as his characters may 

 afford something in addition to those familiar to the student of 

 Babington's Manual, and they are besides essential to the right 

 discrimination of the several plants. 



R. confusus, Godr. Stem stout, usually floating ; submerged 

 leaves nearly all sessile, not collapsing ; the floating leaves gla- 

 brous beneath, deeply divided into wedge-shaped lobes, their 

 membranous sheaths attached to the petiole for their lower two- 

 thirds ; peduncles far exceeding the leaves ; receptacle ovate, co- 

 nical, dotted with fine hairs; petals obovate-cuneate, yellow at 

 their base, much larger than the calyx ; stamens numerous, ex- 

 ceeding the pistils ; carpels often glabrous, compressed, not swol- 

 len, narrowed towards their summit into an ensiform style, which 

 springs from the upper edge of the pistil ; stigma strap-shaped, 

 papillose. 



Obs. — R. Baudotii differs in having stamens shorter than the 

 pistils, carpels inflated at their summit, etc. We wish that our 

 readers would pay strict attention to distinguishing between these 

 two brackish-water plants. 



R. triphyllos, Wallr. Stem elongated ; submerged leaves with 

 capillary lobes spreading in a circular form ; upper leaves floating, 

 nearly glabrous, tripartite, their lobes cuneiform, incise-dentate, 

 with two or three usually obtuse teeth, more rarely divided into 

 narrow lobes; petiole dilated into membranaceous stipules ; pedun- 

 cles erect, at length recurved and longer than the leaves ; flower 

 moderate, sweet-scented ; sepals concave, bordered with white ; 

 petals obovate, rounded, contiguous; stamens twelve to fifteen, 

 with oval bright-yellow anthers about as long as the ovaries ; 



