Ranunculus adoneus |
Ranunculus cooleyae |
|
---|---|---|
alpine buttercup |
Cooley's buttercup |
|
Roots | slender, 0.8-1.4 mm thick. |
|
Stems | erect from large caudices, 9-25 cm, glabrous, each with 1-3 flowers. |
erect from short caudices, not rooting nodally, glabrous, not bulbous-based. |
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. |
blades circular to reniform in outline, 3-5-parted, 0.8-3.8 × 1.7-6.9 cm, segments again lobed, ultimate segments elliptic or oblong, margins crenate, apex rounded; cauline leaf 0-1, scalelike. |
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. |
receptacle glabrous; sepals spreading, yellow, 7-11 × 4-7 mm, glabrous; petals 11-15, yellow, 8-12 × 3-5 mm. |
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. |
hemispheric or spheric, 7-8 × 9-10 mm; achenes 2.4-4.6 × 1.2-2.2 mm, glabrous; beak persistent, filiform, hooked distally, 1-1.8 mm. |
2 | n = 16. |
|
Tuberous | roots absent. |
|
2n | = 16. |
|
Ranunculus adoneus |
Ranunculus cooleyae |
|
Phenology | Flowering late spring–summer (Jun–Aug). | |
Habitat | Spring-summer (May–Sep). Alpine and subalpine meadows, usually around melting snowbanks | Slopes near persistent snowbanks |
Elevation | 2500-4000 m (8200-13100 ft) | 500-1800 m (1600-5900 ft) |
Distribution |
CO; ID; MT; NV; UT; WY
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AK; WA; BC
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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. | FNA vol. 3. |
Parent taxa | Ranunculaceae > Ranunculus > subg. Ranunculus > sect. Epirotes | Ranunculaceae > Ranunculus > subg. Cyrtorhyncha > sect. Arcteranthis |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | R. adoneus var. alpinus, R. eschscholtzii var. adoneus, R. eschscholtzii var. alpinus | Arcteranthis cooleyae, Kumlienia cooleyae |
Name authority | A. Gray: Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia 15: 56. (1863) | Vasey & Rose ex Rose: Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 1: 289. (1894) |
Web links |