Ranunculus ^^ 1. EANUNCULACEAE. 15 



Most nearly allied to JfJ. Idppaceus. Mr. N. B. Browa, who hag compared my plant with the 

 Hopkins River specimen at Kew, considers them identical. I refer a plant collected at the Broken 

 River by Cheeseman to this species, although it is more robust, and has broader leaves. 



25. R. Kirkii, Petrie in Trans. N.Z.I, xix. (1886) 323. Glabrate or 

 almost strigose, lin.— oin. high. Root-fibres fleshy. Radical leaves on slender 

 petioles, 1— 3-foliolate ; leaflets petiolulate, rounded, ovate, or rarely cuneate, 

 3-lobed or 3-fid. Scapes simple or branched, peduncles naked or with a 

 solitary bract. Sepals oblong-lanceolate. Petals obtuse. Achenes 3—6, gla- 

 brous, slightly compressed, faintly keeled, orbicular-ovate, narrowed at the 

 base ; style short, subulate, shortly hooked at the apex. 



SOUTH Island: In mountain districts; Arthur's Pass, &c. STEWART Island: Not un- 

 common. Sea-level to 3,500ft. Dec, Jan. 



Only distinguished from states of B. lappaceus by the larger achenes, which are very sbortly 

 recurved. 



26. R. lappaceus, Smith in Rees Cyclopedia xxix. (1815) n. 61. Root- 

 stock short ; whole plant more or less hairy. Leaves usually all radical on long 

 petioles ; blade ovate or rounded-ovate or cuneate, entire or 3— 5-lobed or 

 partite, rarely palmate or pinnate, the lobes sometimes cut into narrow seg- 

 ments, coarsely crenate. Scapes usually leafless, 1-flowered, rarely 2 or more 

 flowered, and sparingly leafy ; lin.— Bin. high. Sepals 5, usually hairy, spread- 

 ing. Petals 5, obovate, with a small basilar gland. Achenes forming a globose 

 head, compressed, glabrous, margined ; style short, hooked or recurved. — Hook, 

 f., Fl. Tasm. i. 6 ; A. Gray, Bot. U.S. Expl. Exped. 9; Benth., Fl. Austr. i. 12. 



NORTH Island, SOUTH Island, STEWART Island: Prom Hawke's Bay southwards. 

 Ascends to 4|500ft. 



Var. macFopliyllus. Leaves all radical, petioles 2in.-4in. long, blade fin.-l^in. in diameter, 

 hairy, rounded-ovate, truncate or cordate at the base, obscurely 3-lobed, margms orenate or coarsely 

 toothed. Scapes 3in.-8in. high, naked, erect. Flowers large. SOUTH Island : Nelson, &o. 



Var. multiscapus. Scapes numerous, spreading, petioles shorter ; blade Jin. -Jin. long, ovate 

 or ovate-orbicular, cuneate below, 3-fid, 3-lobed or toothed. Achenes few, much compressed. — 

 Hook, f., Handbk. 7. B. multiscapus, Hook, f., PI. N.Z. i. 9, t. 5, and B. muricatulus, Oolenso in 

 Trans. N.Z.I, xxiii. (1890) 381, differ in the smaller leaves, which are almost entire, and in the 

 achenes being rather turgid. Hawke's Bay to Stewart Island. 



Var. villosus. lin.-2in. high, villous or silky in all its parts. Leaves all radical, spreading, 

 3-lobed or partite, or nearly entire. Scape silky, shorter than the petioles, 1-flowered. Achenes 

 slightly turgid. B. suhscapasus, var. Ganterburiensis, J. B. Armst. in Trans. N.Z.I, xiii. 333, appears 

 to be a form of this. SOUTH Island : In alpine situations. 



A plant sent by Petrie from Cardrona, Waipahi, &c., is referred here for the present. It has 

 rounded cordate 3-partite or 3-foliolate leaves on long petioles, the segments cuneate at base, and 

 the silky scapes are 2-3-flowered ; but the material is insufficient for the exact determination of its 

 position. 



27. R. subscaposus, Hook. /., Fl. Antarc. i. 5. Rootstock stout, 

 short, fibrous, erect or suberect, hairy or almost hispid, fulvous when dry, 

 6in.— 18in. high. Radical leaves on slender petioles, 3in.— Sin. long ; blade 

 broadly triangular-ovate, slightly cordate, 3-foliolate or 3-partite to the base ; 

 leaflets cuneate at base, and more or less deeply incised or toothed, or rarely 

 entire with the margins deeply cut. Cauline similar. Scape usually much 

 longer than the leaves, rarely shorter, 1—3 flowered ; peduncles usually much 



