Corzxso,— Descriptions of new Indigenous Plants. 287 
Art. XXVIL—A Description of some newly-discovered and rare Indigenous 
Plants ; being a further Contribution towards the making known the Botany 
of New Zealand, By W. Corzwso, F.L.S. 
(Read before the Wellington Philosophical Society, 13th February, 1885.) 
Class I.. DicoryrEpows. 
Orver L* RANUNCULACEA. 
Genus 8. Ranunculus, Linn. 
1. Ranunculus amphitricha, sp. nov. 
A Low perennial, perfectly glabrous, slender, creeping herb, stolons very 
long, rooting at nodes, rootlets very long. Leaves rather distant, generally 
two from a node, erect, orbicular-cordate in outline, 7-9 lines diameter, 
ternisect, the two lateral lobes bisected nearly to base, each lateral lobe 
having 3-4 laciniations, middle lobe always cuneate and trifid, with a 
minute laciniation or notch on each side, and mostly very regular ; petioles 
slender, fistular, 2-8} inches long, winged and clasping at base. Scapes or 
peduncles rather stout, 1-2 inches long, springing from node on the opposite 
side to the leaves, 1-8-flowered ; flowers single, on long pedicels, 8 lines 
diameter ; sepals 5, shorter than petals, orbicular, greatly concave, inflated, 
erect, obtuse, sub-papillose, one sepal always deeply emarginate or 
sub-bifid; petals 5-6, spreading, narrow, linear-oblong, obtuse, 2 lines 
long, yellow, shining, simple veined; vein forked at apex; unguiculate, 
ungues nearly as long as the lamina, the gland at base of lamina large, 
extending nearly across, erect, thickened, slightly toothed at top; stamens 
numerous, filaments long, anthers round bright yellow; styles erect when 
young, long recurved and subulate when mature; stigmas pubescent; 
achenes turgid and subpapillose when young, sub-globular and rugosely- 
papillate when mature, 12-15 collected in a globose head as large as a small 
pea; receptacle (ripe) largely echinately chaffy or squarrosely-hairy at base ; 
hairs flat, translucent, bordered. 
Hab. In muddy ass edges of woods near Norsewood, County 
of Waipawa ; 1880-84: 
es khave log ae this plant, it has given me no small amount ae i 
yearly consideration and labour. I had long supposed it to be a variety of 
R. rivularis and of some allied Australian species ; but on closer examina- 
iion in its living state, and noting its differential (?specifie) characters 
(supra), which are permanent, I cannot but conclude it to be distinct. 
* The numbers in this paper attached to both orders and genera are those of the 
** Handbook of the N.Z. Flora," 
