diff --git a/includes/form.inc b/includes/form.inc
index 15c18cbda73709f1cc7aaa33cf031ce5ba09bbcb..02f82725e1a52a84a9d711b082da8b7b049156cc 100644
--- a/includes/form.inc
+++ b/includes/form.inc
@@ -1446,8 +1446,10 @@ function form_set_error($name = NULL, $message = '', $limit_validation_errors =
         // reconstructed #parents begin with the same keys as the specified
         // section, then the element's values are within the part of
         // $form_state['values'] that the clicked button requires to be valid,
-        // so errors for this element must be recorded.
-        if (array_slice(explode('][', $name), 0, count($section)) === $section) {
+        // so errors for this element must be recorded. As the exploded array
+        // will all be strings, we need to cast every value of the section
+        // array to string.
+        if (explode('][', $name, count($section)) === array_map('strval', $section)) {
           $record = TRUE;
           break;
         }
diff --git a/modules/simpletest/tests/form.test b/modules/simpletest/tests/form.test
index a0df090524e95e3840faa13b59e60fe338cdac07..4370f18433daeb1173b9f0428f0279d9eb128a23 100644
--- a/modules/simpletest/tests/form.test
+++ b/modules/simpletest/tests/form.test
@@ -521,16 +521,33 @@ class FormValidationTestCase extends DrupalWebTestCase {
    * Tests partial form validation through #limit_validation_errors.
    */
   function testValidateLimitErrors() {
-    $edit = array('test' => 'invalid');
+    $edit = array(
+      'test' => 'invalid', 
+      'test_numeric_index[0]' => 'invalid',
+      'test_substring[foo]' => 'invalid',
+    );
     $path = 'form-test/limit-validation-errors';
 
-    // Submit the form by pressing the button with #limit_validation_errors and
-    // ensure that the title field is not validated, but the #element_validate
-    // handler for the 'test' field is triggered.
+    // Submit the form by pressing the 'Partial validate' button (uses
+    // #limit_validation_errors) and ensure that the title field is not
+    // validated, but the #element_validate handler for the 'test' field
+    // is triggered.
     $this->drupalPost($path, $edit, t('Partial validate'));
     $this->assertNoText(t('!name field is required.', array('!name' => 'Title')));
     $this->assertText('Test element is invalid');
 
+    // Edge case of #limit_validation_errors containing numeric indexes: same
+    // thing with the 'Partial validate (numeric index)' button and the
+    // 'test_numeric_index' field.
+    $this->drupalPost($path, $edit, t('Partial validate (numeric index)'));
+    $this->assertNoText(t('!name field is required.', array('!name' => 'Title')));
+    $this->assertText('Test (numeric index) element is invalid');
+
+    // Ensure something like 'foobar' isn't considered "inside" 'foo'.
+    $this->drupalPost($path, $edit, t('Partial validate (substring)'));
+    $this->assertNoText(t('!name field is required.', array('!name' => 'Title')));
+    $this->assertText('Test (substring) foo element is invalid');
+
     // Ensure not validated values are not available to submit handlers.
     $this->drupalPost($path, array('title' => '', 'test' => 'valid'), t('Partial validate'));
     $this->assertText('Only validated values appear in the form values.');
diff --git a/modules/simpletest/tests/form_test.module b/modules/simpletest/tests/form_test.module
index abaae06c1c5d3ef9836d8664aaac8dc5807d2b7c..52cca5e1824d514fdd098951d3d65cb1e68d2f06 100644
--- a/modules/simpletest/tests/form_test.module
+++ b/modules/simpletest/tests/form_test.module
@@ -333,16 +333,53 @@ function form_test_limit_validation_errors_form($form, &$form_state) {
     '#title' => 'Title',
     '#required' => TRUE,
   );
+
   $form['test'] = array(
+    '#title' => 'Test',
+    '#type' => 'textfield',
+    '#element_validate' => array('form_test_limit_validation_errors_element_validate_test'),
+  );
+  $form['test_numeric_index'] = array(
+    '#tree' => TRUE,
+  );
+  $form['test_numeric_index'][0] = array(
+    '#title' => 'Test (numeric index)',
+    '#type' => 'textfield',
+    '#element_validate' => array('form_test_limit_validation_errors_element_validate_test'),
+  );
+  
+  $form['test_substring'] = array(
+    '#tree' => TRUE,
+  );
+  $form['test_substring']['foo'] = array(
+    '#title' => 'Test (substring) foo',
     '#type' => 'textfield',
     '#element_validate' => array('form_test_limit_validation_errors_element_validate_test'),
   );
+  $form['test_substring']['foobar'] = array(
+    '#title' => 'Test (substring) foobar',
+    '#type' => 'textfield',
+    '#element_validate' => array('form_test_limit_validation_errors_element_validate_test'),
+  );
+  
   $form['actions']['partial'] = array(
     '#type' => 'submit',
     '#limit_validation_errors' => array(array('test')),
     '#submit' => array('form_test_limit_validation_errors_form_partial_submit'),
     '#value' => t('Partial validate'),
   );
+  $form['actions']['partial_numeric_index'] = array(
+    '#type' => 'submit',
+    '#limit_validation_errors' => array(array('test_numeric_index', 0)),
+    '#submit' => array('form_test_limit_validation_errors_form_partial_submit'),
+    '#value' => t('Partial validate (numeric index)'),
+  );
+  $form['actions']['substring'] = array(
+    '#type' => 'submit',
+    '#limit_validation_errors' => array(array('test_substring', 'foo')),
+    '#submit' => array('form_test_limit_validation_errors_form_partial_submit'),
+    '#value' => t('Partial validate (substring)'),
+  );
   $form['actions']['full'] = array(
     '#type' => 'submit',
     '#value' => t('Full validate'),
@@ -355,7 +392,7 @@ function form_test_limit_validation_errors_form($form, &$form_state) {
  */
 function form_test_limit_validation_errors_element_validate_test(&$element, &$form_state) {
   if ($element['#value'] == 'invalid') {
-    form_error($element, 'Test element is invalid');
+    form_error($element, t('@label element is invalid', array('@label' => $element['#title'])));
   }
 }