Ranunculus.] flora indica. 35 



DiSTEiB. Europa omnis! Asia temperata! Groenlandia. 



Herba erecta, ramosa, i-1-pedalis, glabra vel pubernla, multiflora. Folia radicalia 

 pleruraque indivisa inciso-erenata, rarius tripartita, interdum abortiva. 



We liave introduced this species into our list on the authority of some very im- 

 perfect specimens collected by Mr. Griffith in Afghanistan. We have done so 

 mainly for the purijose of caUiug the attention of travellers in the Himalaya to this 

 species, in order that they may institute a search for it in the woods of the temperate 

 region of these mountains in early spring. It is our impression, from a survey of 

 numerous specimens of this and closely allied species, that R. pedatifidm or affmis, 

 and all its forms, as well as U. aiortivus, of America, are only varieties of R. aurico- 

 mus, and that R. polyrhizus, Stev., is the alpine state of the same plant. R. montanus, 

 1., seems a very imperfectly-defined plant, consisting of the dwarf states of R. acris and 

 bulhoms, and occasionally also of R. auricomus. The main distinctions between R. 

 auricomus and R. Mrtellus are the undivided radical leaves, the large size of the 

 achenia of the former, and their forming a globose capitulum ; and an examination of 

 the degree of variation of the Indian species in these points would probably throw 

 much light on a very difficult question. 



14. R. nivalis (L. Sp. 778); caulibus 1-floris, foliis radicalibus re- 

 niformibus 5-7-partitis, caulinis sessilibus 3-5-partitis, sepalis elliptiois 

 dorso dense fusco-villosis. — DO. Syst. i. 273, Prod. i. 35 ; R. Br. in 

 Parry's \st Voy. App. 364 ; Ledeb. PI. Ross. i. 36 ; Torrey et Gray, PL 

 N. Am. i. 30. 



Hab. In Himalaya alpina : Sikkim, alt. 15,000 pad.! (Tankra Pass). 

 — {v. ■».) 



DisTRiB. Europa, Asia, et America arctica ! in America in montibus 

 scopulosis ad lat. 53° descendit. 



RncHx crassa, perpendicularis. Planta pusiUa, 1-2-pollicaris. Folia radicalia 

 pedatim 5-7-partita, semipoUieaiia, segmentis obovatis vel oblongis, lateralibus tri- 

 lobis. Caulis snperne viUosus, plurifoliatus. Folia caulina basi late membranaceo- 

 dilatata, conformia, supremum sessile 3-5-partitum. Sepala eUiptica. Petala obovata, 

 sepalis vix longiora. Achenia non snppetuut. 



This little plant, which is unfortunately not in a sufficiently advanced state for ac- 

 curate determination, may be referred provisionally to R. nivalis, L., to which R. 

 -dltaicus of Laxmann, and R. Eschscholtzii of Schlechtendal, should apparently be 

 united. The above description refers to the Indian plant only. 



15. R. sceleratus (L. Sp. 776); glaber, foliis radicalibus renifor- 

 mibus tripartitis, sepalis reflexis, acheniis in capitulum oblongum con- 

 gestis obovatis non compressis. — BC. Prod. i. 34; Don, Prod. 195; 

 Royle! 111. 53 ; Ledeb. PL Ross. i. 45 ; Torrey et Gray, PI. N. Am. i. 

 19. E. Indicus ! Roxb. PL Ind. ii. 671 ; Wall. Cat. 4699 ! E. carnosus, 

 TFall. in Hb. 1824. Hecatonia palustris, Lour. PI. Cocli. Chin. 371. 



Hab. In Indies borealis planitie ubique in arenosis prope aquam, 

 secus Indum, Gangem, et Brahmaputra flumina, et in Himalaya occiden- 

 tali subtropica, sed vix supra 5000 ped. alt., a Kashmir! ad Kumaon!; 

 et in Malwa! ad ripas fluminis Nerbada, Rottler in Hb. Royle I (in Pe- 

 ninsula deest.) — (PI. Febr. Mart.) {v. «.) 



DiSTRiB. Europa tota, Asia temperata, China (Loureiro), Africa bo- 

 realis, America temp, usque ad lat. 67°. 



Herba anuua, erecta, 1-3-pedalis, glabra vel apice summo interdum subpuberula, 



