142 
RANUNCULUS 
shorter than the mature petioles. Flowers small, 3 — 10 mm. in diameter. Petals rather acute. Achenes 
few, about 15 in each head. 
An allied species ( R . hololeucus Lloyd FI. Loir. Inf. 3 (1844), with much larger flowers and wholly white petals, should be 
searched for in southern England and southern Ireland. 
18. R. obtusiflorus (p. 143). Submerged leaves well developed, though often rather short, 
not collapsing when taken out of the water. Pedicels longer than the mature petioles, markedly- 
arched in fruit. Flowers from 1 - o to 1*5 cm. in diameter. Petals obtuse. Achenes usually very 
numerous, about 60 — 100 in each head in well-grown plants. 
19. R. triphyllus (p. 144). Submerged leaves well developed, persistent, collapsing when taken 
out of the water. Pedicels longer than the mature petioles. Flowers 2 cm. in diameter. Petals 
obtuse. Achenes rather numerous, about 40 — 50 in each head. 
17. RANUNCULUS TRIPARTITUS. Plates 147, 148 
Ranunculus tripartitus DC. Icon. PI. Gall. Rar. 15, t. 49 (1808); Godron in Mem. Soc. Roy. Nancy 16 
(1840); Babington in Eng. Bot. Suppl. no. 2946(1848)!; Syme E?ig. Bot. i, 27 (1863); N. E. Brown in E?tg. Bot. 
ed. 3, suppl. 13 (1891) excl. syn. Knaf ; R. tripartitus var. micranthus DC. Syst. Nat. i, 234 (1818); Batrachium 
tripartitum Gray Nat. Arr. i, 721 (1821); R. lutarius [? Bouvet toe. cit.\ H. and J. Groves in Journ. Bot. xlv, 452 
(1907); R. hydrocharis form tripartitus Hiern op. cit. 68, et form intermedius p. 67 (excl. syn. Knaf). 
leones: — DC. op. cit. t. 49; Reichenbach Icon, iii, t. 2, fig. 4574; Babington in Eng. Bot. Suppl. t. 2946. 
Exsiccata : — Billot, 2403 (the heterophyllous form) ; Welwitsch {Ft. Lusit.), 409 (with submerged leaves alone) ; 
663 (with floating leaves alone); 906 (the heterophyllous form) ; 1049 (with floating leaves alone) ; {Iter. Hisp.), 673. 
Annual 1 or perennial. Branches 1 — 5 dm. long, rather slender. Sheaths large and broad, adnate 
below. Submerged leaves often more or less rudimentary or caducous or absent, when present sessile ; 
segments capillary, collapsing when taken out of the water. Floating leaves with long slender petioles 
when mature, rather deeply 3-lobed to 3-partite, divided from about half-way down to the base, basal 
sinus rather wide ; lobes cuneate, sides usually entire, apex often with 2 — 3 crenulations. Pedicels 
shorter than the mature petioles. Flowers small, about 4 — 9 mm. in diameter; April to early July. 
Petals white or pinkish, yellow at the base, rather acute, about as long or a little longer than the 
sepals, not contiguous. Stamens 5 — 10. Stigma laterally placed, narrow, caducous. Achenes turgid, 
rather small, about 1 5 on each receptacle ; beak short. 
(a) forma heterophyllus nobis. 
leones : — Camb. Brit. FI. iii. Plate 14.J. (a, b, c) Fertile branches, {d, e) Branches with submerged leaves. 
(f) Pedicel and receptacle (enlarged), (g) Flower-buds (one enlarged), (h) Flowers (four enlarged), (i) Petals 
(two enlarged), (j) Achenes (three enlarged). Cornwall (C. R.). 
Cf. Syme loc. cit., and Rouy and Foucaud toe. cit. 
