Ranunculus.] I. RANUNCULACEiE (OLIVEU). 11 



Nile Ijand. Abyssioian mountains, at a great elevation, Galinier^ Schimper. 



7. R. distrias, Steud. ; Rich. FL Abyss, i. 7. A diffuse annual herb, 

 with a fibrous root and numerous spreading or ascending, leafy, glabrous or 

 loosely pilose stems. Leaves all or nearly all petiolate ; segments with 

 3 or more incised, unequal, rather acute teeth, glabrous or with few scattered 

 hairs. Flowers small. Petals oblanceolate. Achenes usually 8-15, com- 

 pressed, with a very short beak, the sides tubercled or smooth. 



Var. a. Carpels smooth {R. distrias, Steud.). 



Var. b. Carpels tuberculate {R. cuneilobus. Rich. Fl. Abyss, i. 7. t. 3.) 



Nile Iiand. Abyssinia, Schimper ! and Dillon {Rich.). 



Nearly related to R. parvifiorus^ Linn., of which species it may be a marked variety. 



4. DELPHINIUM, Linn. ; Benth. and Hook. f. Gen. PI. i. 9. 



Flowers irregular. Sepals 5, petaloid, posterior one prolonged into a spur 

 behind. Petals 2 or 4 (2 posterior, each prolonged into a spur within the 

 spur of the posterior sepal ; 2 lateral, when present, ecalcarate). Stamens in- 

 definite. Carpels 1-7 (3 in the Tropical African species), sessile, free, multi- 

 ovulate, follicular when ripe. — Erect, annual or perennial herbs, with alter- 

 nate, palraately-lobed or -dissected leaves, and showy racemose or panicled, 

 blue purple red white or rarely yellow tiowers. 



A considerable genus, confined to the north temperate zone ; some species affecting moun- 

 tainous, others dry and hot situations. The only tropical African species extends to the moun- 

 tains of the Dekhan in India. 



1. D. dasycaulon, Tresen. in Mus. Senck. ii. 272 (sect. Delphinastrum, 

 DC). Stem erect, branched or simple, |~3 ft., shortly pilose with spread- 

 ing hairs or sometimes glabrescent below, with few scattered petiolate leaves. 

 Kadical leaves roundish-reniform or -cordate, broadly and deeply 5-lobed ; 

 lobes broadly and irregularly incised, 3-6 in. diam. ; cauline leaves deeply 

 5-partite ; segments acutely 3-lobed, unequally, acutely and remotely incised, 

 more or less pilose above and below. Eacemes rather loose, hairy, with 

 linear bracts. Flowers blue ; sepals hairy externally, especially towards the 

 slightly recurved obtuse spur, which is about half as long (or little more) as 

 the posterior sepal ; calcarate posterior petals cartilaginous ; limb broadly 

 linear, oblique, obtuse, 2-fid \ limb of anterior petals bilobate, pilose. Cai-pels 

 3, shortly pilose or tomentose. 



Nile Iiand. Abyssinia, in mountainous situations. Salt ! Schimper ! and others. 



Order II. DILLENIACEiE (by Prof. Oliver). 



Sepals 5 (3-7), broadly imbricate, persistent. Petals 5 (2-7 j, imbricate, 

 deciduous. Stamens hypogynous, in African species indefinite, free, or the 

 filaments very shortly coherent ; anthers innate, dehiscing longitudinally or 

 by terminal pores. Carpels free, rarely cohering ; ovaries 1-crlled, with 1 

 or more ovules. Styles distinct, diverging ; stigmas simi)le. Fruit-carpels 

 (in African species) dry, coriaceous, 1- or few-seeded, dehiscing by one or 

 both sutures. Seeds with a very minute embryo and fleshy albumen, fur- 

 nished with an arillus.— Trees or shrubs, usually climbing, or herbs, with al- 



