Ranunculus Bulbosus ScinipUiius. 243 



A crimson clover plant w itli some quadri foliate leaves 

 was ()])taine(l by the selection of tricotylous and tetra- 

 cotylous seedlings in conformity with previously studied 

 laws of correlation. The anomaly proved to be heritable 

 and has maintained itself until now, during six genera- 

 tions (1895-1900). It was improved by selection but 

 only within very narrow^ limits. Plants with more than 

 five leaflets per leaf have not as yet arisen, nor have 

 ])lants bearing ten or more 4- to 5- foliate leaves, and it 

 is nearly always the ''small" seeds which give rise to 

 seedlings with compound primary leaves. 



But the chief result is that the desired race, rich in 

 4-foliate leaves, "T. incarnatuni quinqucfoUuni" anal- 

 ogous with Trifoliuni prafcnse quinqucfoUuni^ did not 

 arise. ^ 



§ 23. RANUNCULUS BULBOSUS SEMIPLENUS. 



Double flowers are common phenomena amongst the 

 buttercups.- They occur not only in the cultivated Ra- 

 nunculi ( R. asiaticus) but also in several wnld species. 

 The doubling may be either complete and brought about 

 by petalomania as in the Ranunculus acris shown in Fig. 

 40, Vol. I, p. 194; or it may be more or less incomplete 

 when caused by the transformation of a varying numl)er 

 of stamens into petals (R. acris, R. auriconius, R. Philo- 

 notis, R. re pens etc.). 



In Ranunculus bulbosus, the bulbous buttercup, the 



^ The same thing no doubt occurs also in other cases. The at- 

 tempt to breed from occasional anomalies a constant race endowed 

 with the particular variation, in some cases succeeds, but in others 

 does not. For instance I have for many years endeavored to raise 

 from the occasional polycephaly in Palaver commutatum a race with 

 as beautiful crowns as those which characterize the famihar Paf^oi'cr 

 sonmifcnun polycephalum (see Vol. I. p. 138, Fig. 27), but in vain. 



^ See Penzig, Pflancenteratologie, Vol. I, pp. 181-189. 



