Flora of North America species comparison

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Ranunculus adoneus

alpine buttercup
Roots

slender, 0.8-1.4 mm thick.
Stems

erect from large caudices, 9-25 cm, glabrous, each with 1-3 flowers.
Basal leaves

persistent, blades circular to reniform in outline, 2-3x-dissected into linear segments, 0.9-2.5 × 1.1-2.8 cm, base obtuse, margins entire, apices of segments narrowly rounded to acute.
Flowers

pedicels glabrous;

receptacle glabrous;

sepals 4-11 × 3-7 mm, abaxially sparsely pilose, hairs colorless;

petals 5-10, 8-15 × 8-19 mm;

nectary scale glabrous.
Heads of achenes

ovoid, 6-12 × 5-9 mm;

achenes 1.8-2.4 × 1-1.4 mm, glabrous or nearly so;

beak subulate, straight, 1.2-1.7 mm.
2

n = 16.

Ranunculus adoneus
Habitat Spring-summer (May–Sep). Alpine and subalpine meadows, usually around melting snowbanks
Elevation 2500-4000 m (8200-13100 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CO; ID; MT; NV; UT; WY
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Most collections of Ranunculus adoneus from Colorado, including the type specimen, tend to be small, with narrow leaf segments (only 0.5-1 mm wide) and large flowers. The more widespread form, with leaf segments 1-2 mm wide and more variable flowers, has been called R. adoneus var. alpinus. The leaf and flower characteristics are very poorly correlated, however, and specimens referable to var. alpinus vary greatly in stature and flower size, so the two forms scarcely merit formal recognition.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 3.
Parent taxa Ranunculaceae > Ranunculus > subg. Ranunculus > sect. Epirotes
Sibling taxa
R. abortivus, R. acriformis, R. acris, R. alismifolius, R. allegheniensis, R. allenii, R. ambigens, R. andersonii, R. aquatilis, R. arizonicus, R. arvensis, R. auricomus, R. austro-oreganus, R. bonariensis, R. bulbosus, R. californicus, R. canus, R. cardiophyllus, R. cooleyae, R. cymbalaria, R. eschscholtzii, R. fascicularis, R. fasciculatus, R. ficaria, R. flabellaris, R. flammula, R. gelidus, R. glaberrimus, R. glacialis, R. gmelinii, R. gormanii, R. harveyi, R. hebecarpus, R. hederaceus, R. hispidus, R. hydrocharoides, R. hyperboreus, R. hystriculus, R. inamoenus, R. jovis, R. kamtschaticus, R. lapponicus, R. laxicaulis, R. lobbii, R. macauleyi, R. macounii, R. macranthus, R. marginatus, R. micranthus, R. muricatus, R. nivalis, R. occidentalis, R. oresterus, R. orthorhynchus, R. pacificus, R. pallasii, R. parviflorus, R. pedatifidus, R. pensylvanicus, R. platensis, R. populago, R. pusillus, R. pygmaeus, R. ranunculinus, R. recurvatus, R. repens, R. rhomboideus, R. sabinei, R. sardous, R. sceleratus, R. sulphureus, R. testiculatus, R. trilobus, R. triternatus, R. turneri, R. uncinatus
Synonyms R. adoneus var. alpinus, R. eschscholtzii var. adoneus, R. eschscholtzii var. alpinus
Name authority A. Gray: Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia 15: 56. (1863)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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