A® 
Ranunculus.) | RANUNCULACEAE. 443 
Sourn Isnanp: Nelson—Shingle-slopes at the Wairau Gorge, alt. 6000 ft., 
W. T. L. Travers. Canterbury—Shingle-slopes above the Cameron River, Mount 
Arrowsmith district, alt. 5000 ft., R. M. Laing !/ 
16. R. chordorhizos Hook. f. Handb. N.Z. Fl. 11 (1867) 723.—Small, 
stout, fleshy and coriaceous, 2-3in. high, everywhere perfectly glabrous. 
Rootstock short, stout, putting down long and stringy fleshy rootlets. 
Leaves all radical, spreading and recurved; petioles stout, 1-2 in. long, 
with broad sheathing bases; blade 4-l}in. diam., suborbicular in outline 
when spread out, 3-lobed, or 3-partite to the base, segments obovate- 
spathulate or cuneate, sometimes petiolulate, incised or again lobed, upper 
surface pitted or wrinkled when dry. Scapes usually solitary but some- 
times 2-3, short, not exceeding the petioles, naked, 1-flowered. Flowers 
large for the size of the plant 3-l}in. diam. Sepals 5, oblong, not 
toothed. Petals 5 in all the flowers examined, nearly twice as long as 
the sepals, linear-obovate, with 1-38 glandular pits near the base. Achenes 
forming a small globose head, rounded, turgid, glabrous; style as long 
as the achene, curved, subulate.—Z. Kirk Students’ Fl. (1899) 10; 
Cheesem. Man. N.Z. Fl. (1906) 15. TLN-Z1. S60. 1%. 
Sourn Istanp: Canterbury—Macaulay River and Mount Somers, Haast (Hand- 
book); Mount Hutt, 4d. Wall; Lake Ohau, Buchanan! Mount Winterslow, £&. A i 
Laing. Otago—Mount Kyeburn and Mount St. Bathan’s, Petrie. Altitudinal 
range 3000-5000 ft. December—January. 
A very peculiar species. Although closely allied to R. paucifolius, it differs in the 
smaller size of the plant, and in the size, shape, and cutting of the leaves. 
17. R. paueifeltius 7. Kirk Students’ Fl. (1899) 11.—Small, stout, 
coriaceous, 2-4in. high, perfectly glabrous in all its parts. Root stout, 
short, vertical, putting down numerous perpendicular rootlets. Leaves 
3-8, all radical, spreading; petioles short, stiff, 1-2in. long, sheathing 
at the base; blade 1-2in. diam., suborbicular or broader than long, 
slightly cordate or truncate or almost cuneate at the base, 3-lobed to the 
middle ; lobes often overlapping, sharply and finely toothed or crenate, 
minutely pitted above when fresh. Scape very rarely more than one to a 
plant, short, stout, 4-3 in. long, 1-flowered ; cauline leaves wanting. Flower 
large for the size of the plant, 14-2in. diam. Sepals 5, pale-yellow, not 
lobed as in R. chordorhizos. Petals 5-8 or more. Achenes few, forming 
a small rounded head, turgid, glabrous ; style as long as the achene, curved, 
subulate.—Cheesem. Man. N.Z. Fl. (1906) 15; A. Wallin Trans. N.Z. Inst. 
hi (1920) 90-105. 
South Istranp: Canterbury—Debris of limestone rocks at Castle Hill, Middle 
Waimakariri, alt. 2500 ft., J. D. Enys! T. Kirk, T. F.C. October-November. 
Only known from the single locality quoted above, where it is exceedingly rare, 
and confined to an area not exceeding 4 acres. For further information, reference 
should be made to Professor Wall’s paper “On the Distribution and Ecology of 
Ranunculus paucifolius”’ (Trans. N.Z. Inst. lii (1920) 90-105). I have not seen 
flowering specimens, and that portion of the above description dealing with the inflores- 
cence has been adapted from Professor Wall’s paper. 
18. R. Berggreni Petrie i Trans. N.Z. Inst. xix (1887) 325; Le. 
xxx1 (1899) 352, t. 26—Small, stemless, perfectly glabrous. Rootstock 
stout, with numerous fleshy rootlets. Leaves all radical, coriaceous ; 
petioles slender, flattened, $-lin. long; blade orbicular or reniform, with’ 
an open sinus, 3—#in. diam., unequally 3-lobed to the middle, rarely almost 
