MOUNTAIN LILY. 
Ranunculus Lyallii, Hook, fil. 
The finest known species of Buttercup, and one of the most magnificent 
plants native to New Zealand. The leaves are perfectly round, with the stalk 
affixed to the centre. They are often from one to two feet in diameter, and are 
concave on the upper surface, so as to somewhat resemble large soup-plates. The 
stem is often over four feet in height, and is usually much branched. The flowers 
are very numerous, pure white, and from two to three inches in diameter. It is 
confined to the South Island, and is purely an Alpine plant, being most abundant 
at an altitude of three thousand feet. In some of the valleys in the central 
portion of the Canterbury Alps it is exceedingly plentiful, and during the flower- 
ing season the slopes of the mountains are often whitened from the abundance of 
its blossoms. It flowers in January. 
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