20 I. BANUNCULACE^. (Hook. f. & Thoms.) [Ranuneulm. 



Swampe and rice fields in Nipal, Wallkh; banks of the Sdtlej at Ludiana, and 

 G-ANOEs at Bhojpur, JEdgeworth. Assam, and Khasia hills, up to 6000 It., M.J.d: I.— 

 DisTEiB. N. China, Amur-land, N. America. , , „ j- 7 7 i 



Stem 2-3 ft., prostrate and rooting at the base only, branched. Badical leaves long- 

 petioled, leaflets long-stalked, 3-partite and deeply cut into linear segments; cauhne 

 shorter petioled, upper subsessile. Flowers about 1 m. diam SepaU reflexed. Achenes 

 many, large, with an intramai-ginal rib and short straight beak.— Very vanable m the 

 shape of the head of achenes, and in the prominence and position of their mtramargmal 

 rib ; but a large suite of specimens convinces us of the specific identity oi all the tormd. 



Sect. IV. Echfnella, BG. Annual, rarely perennial. Flowers small, 

 yellow. Achenes echinate or tubercled (rarely smooth in 20, muncatus). 



18. R. flaccidus, H.f. & T. Fl. Ind. 38 ; perennial, tufted, prostrate, 

 leaves reniform or orbicular crenate glabrous, achenes beaked, rough with 

 small tubercles. 



Temperate Himalaya, in the upper forest region, from Kumaon to Bhotan,' ah. 

 9-10,000 ft. 



Patches large; dense, green, appreased to the ground ; stems filiform ; nodes often 

 rooting. Leaves \ in. diam. or less, 3-5-crenMte. Flowers minute, | in. diam., solitary, 

 leaf-opposed. iSepals reflexed, nearly equalling the petals. Achenes 6-12, pubescent, 

 oval, not much compressed, beak short reflexed. 



19. R. Wallicliianus, W. &A. Prodr. i. 4 ; perennial, prostra,1;e, hairy, 

 leaves ternatipartite, achenes compressed orbicular tubercled. — Wight Ic. 

 t. 2Z1 ; H.f. S T. Fl Ind. 38. E. pinnatus, Wight III. i. 6, notofPoiret. 



Temperate zone of the mountains of Ceylon and Nilghiei. 



(Sie»n« spreading and rooting at the nodes from the perennial rootstock, hirsute, rarely 

 glabrate. Radical leaves \-i^ ^n. Ham.; sefiments stalked, obovate-cuneate, sharply 

 cut and toothed ; cauling 3-partite. Peduncles 1-flowered, leaf-opposed and terminal. 

 Flowers J in. diam. SepaU reflexed, much shorter than the petals. Achenes flattened, 

 margined, both dotted and tubercled. 



20. R. muricatus, Linn. ; annual, erect or diffuse, glabrous, rarely 

 hairy, leaves 3-)id, achenes oval flattened tubercled or spinous, rarely smooth. 

 R.f. & T. Fl. Ind. 39. K. Cabulicus, Boiss. Biagn. ser. 2, 9. 



Swampy places, at low elevations, in the Punjab-Himalaya, and in the plains at 

 Peshawur and Amballah. — Distrib. Europe, W. Asia, temperate N. America. 



Stems 4^12 in. Leaves 1-2 in. diam., lobes irregularly cut, base rounded or cordate, 

 of the upper cuneate. Flowers J-i in. diam., solitary and leaf-opposed, or terminal 

 and panicled. Sepals reflexed, rather shorter than the petals. Achenes in a large 

 globose head, J in. long, tubercles scattered over the flattened sides, or confined to near 

 the intramarginal rib ; beak straight, compressed, ribbed, tip hooked. 



21. R. arvensls, Linn. ; annual, erect, much branched, glabrous, or 

 silky above, radical leaves cuneate or obovate 3-5-toothed, cauline 3-partite, 

 achenes few large obliquely obovate not margined, densely spinous. Wall. 

 Gat. 4700 ; Poyle lU. 53 ; R. f. & T. Fl. Ind. 39. E. tuberculatus, 

 DC. Prodr. i. 41. 



Western Himalaya, from Kashmir to Kumaon. — Distkib. Europe, Asia Minor, 

 Aftghanistan, Western Siberia. 



Stem solitary, 6-24 in. Leaves variable, lowest 1-2 in., soon withering, segments of 

 cauline cut into linear lobes. Flowers 4 in. diam. Sepals appressed to and half the 

 length of the petals. Achenes 5-10, usually clothed with hooked spines ; style straight 

 or hooked. 



