34 B Canadian Arctic Expedition, 1913-18 



pedition. A vefy detailed account of R. affinis, including R. arcticus, is given 

 by Simmons (I.e., p. 101). However, as long as the identity of R. arcticus is 

 disputed it may be well to reprint the diagnosis, inasmuch as the work in which 

 it is published may not be readily accessible to many of the readers.^ Richardson 

 described the species as follows: "R. arcticus: foliis radicaUbus petiolatis hastatis 

 tripartitis lobis divisis; caulinis in lobos lineares integerrimos partitis, caule 

 trifolio unifloro, calyce villoso petalis breviore (B.) ^ Folia glaberrima; radicalia 

 longius petiolata, hastata, tripartita; lobo intermedio unguiculari trifido, lacmiis 

 lateralibus minoribus, patentibus; lobis lateralibus 4-partitis segmentis divari- 

 catis, exterioribus sensim minoribus: laciniis omnibus obtusis, lanceolatis vel 

 linearibus; caulina in lobos lineares integerrimos, obtusiusculos partita, ad 

 bases membranacea, amplexicaulia et pilis albis molhbus ciliata: imum sub- 

 petiolatum lobis sex, summum lobis tribus. Caulis simplicissimus pedalis 

 erectus uniflorus, foliis tribus remotis munitus et supra folium summum pilis 

 albis villosiusculus. Calyx flavescenti-erubescens, villosus, reflexus, petalis 

 dimidio brevior. Petala lutea patentissima, obovata, obtusissima, receptaculo 

 breviora. Stamina filamentis brevissimis, antheris oblongis. Germina glabra 

 stylo recurvato mucronata, receptaculo cylindraceo." 



Ranunculus arcticus Richards, was thus established on a plant which was 

 collected on the barren grounds from lat. 64° to the Arctic sea, in lat. 69°, and 

 it was published in the same year as Robert Brown's Chloris Melvilliana (1823) ; 

 iiowever, in the second edition of Franklin's Narrative Richardson adopts the 

 napie iZ. affinis of Robert Brown. By Gray (Synopt. Flora I.e., p. 31) R. arcticus 

 is given as a synonym of R. affinis; another synonym is R. amoenus Karel. et 

 Kiril. according to Ledebour (Flora Rossica, I.e., p. 732). In recent years some 

 American authors have adopted the name R. pedatiftdus Sm. instead of R. 

 affinis R. Br. but Simmons (Flora Ellesmereland I.e., p. 102) has clearly demon- 

 strated that Smith's and Robert Brown's plant are not conspecific. Simmons, 

 having seen the original specimens of the former, R. pedatifidus, states that the 

 basal leaves are almost circular in outline and deeply cut into numerous, almost 

 linear segments, with a smaller median, and two larger lateral lobes, a structure 

 which does not occur in R. affinis; according to this author R. pedatifidus Sm. 

 is a native of Asia, especially Eastern Siberia, besides some of the islands in 

 Bering sea. 



Several very fine specimens were collected by the Canadian arctic expedi- 

 tion, measuring in height from 6 to 12 cin. in flowering specimens; withered 

 stems with the fruit from the year previous were about twice as tall. Part A, 

 Plate II, Figs. 1-3 illustrates one of these specimens, and the American plant 

 agrees exactly with that from Siberia, Nova Zembla, Spitzbergen and Green- 

 land. 



The species is perennial; the primary root soon becomes replaced by a 

 number of slender, secondary roots developed from the nodi of the short, erect 

 rhizome. Several basal leaves surround the flowering stem which bears several 

 long-peduncled flowers in a unilateral cyme. 



Ranunculus Sabinii R. Br. 



This is described by Robert Brown:' "foliis radicalibus elongato petiolatis 

 tripartitis: lobis ellipticis: lateralibus semibifidis; caulinis sessilibus tripartitis 

 linearibus, calycibus hirsutis petala retusa subaequantibus. Obs. planta inter 

 R. nivalem et pygmaeum media in Herb. D. Sabine exstat. ulterius examinanda, 

 forsan haud distincta a R. nivali cujus cfr. icon. Flor. Dan. 1699, ubi petala 

 retusa et folium radicale pinnatifidum." 



' John Franklin: Narrative of a journey to the shores of the Polar Sea in the years 1819-20-21 and 22. 

 London, 1823. 



2 B. denotes the Barren Grounds from Point lake to the Arctic sea. 

 • Chloris Melvilliana (I.e., p. 189). 



