32 B 



Canadian Arctic Expedition, 1913rl8 



An older specimen (Fig. 2) from Norrbotten, Sweden, shows the typical 

 structure of the mature plant. The posterior part of the main rhizome is shown 

 by R; it bears a green leaf (L^) and is terminated by a flower of which only the 

 basal portion of the peduncle has been shown (S.) ; in the axil of leaf L^ is a hori- 

 zontal shoot (St.) of which the first leaf is green (L^) and of the same size a,nd 

 shape as leaf L^ The horizontal shoot (St.) bears at the apex a young leaf which 

 unfolds in the succeeding season. In this way the axillary, horizontal stem or 

 stolon (St.) will continue its growth in the same direction as the main rhizome 

 (R.). In old specimens it thus appears as if the entire horizontally creeping 

 rhizome were an axis of the same order but, as shown above, it actually consists 

 of several axes and represents a sympodium. 



Several deviations from this structure occur, as is also the case in Anemone 

 Richardsonii. For instance, as shown in Fig. 3, a stolon may be developed 

 from the axil of the second leaf (L^) beside from the leaf (L^) borne upon the 

 floral peduncle (S.). But otherwise the ramification is the same because the 

 flowering stem f S.) terminates the rhizome (R.) while the stolon (St.) is developed 

 from the axil of the first leaf (L^), bearing a green leaf (L^) which again subtends 

 a stolon. This specimen thus shows three stolons, all being axillary. No scale- 

 like leaves were observed in any part of these rhizomes. Ranunculus lapponicus 

 grows in moist ground, principally in bogs, and the internodes of the rhizome 

 may reach a length of 10 cm. or even more; the specimens from Coronation 

 gulf were rather low, the flowering stem reaching a height of only 8 cm., while 

 specimens from Sweden may average double the size, or more, when in fruit. 



R. nivalis L. and R. sulphureus Soland. exhibit the same growth and, 

 sometimes, it has proved difficult to distinguish them from each other. To 

 facilitate the identification a brief diagnosis of R. sulphureus given' by Lange 



Figure K. 



Basal leaves of Ranunculus sulphureus Soland. (1-7), andfi. nivalis L. (8-11), all two-thirds 

 of the natural size. 



1 Specimen from St. Paul island, Bering sea. 2. Specimen from Eumatowan,. Siberia. 3. 

 Specimen from Magdalene bay, Spitzbergen. 4. Specimen from Jakutsk, Siberia. 5. Speci- 

 men from Tromso, Finmark. 6. Specimen from Camden bay, Alaska. 7. Specimen from 

 Magdalene bay, Spitzbergen. 8. Specimen from St. Matthew island, Bering sea. 9. Speci- 

 men fromDovre mountain, Norway. 10. Specimen from Cape York, West Greenland. 11. 

 Specimen from Godhavn, Disco, Greenland. 



